


Lovely

by historyofamanda



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dragon Age: Inquisition Quest - Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts, Dragon Age: Inquisition Spoilers, F/M, Falling In Love, Forgiveness, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Halamshiral (Dragon Age), Haven (Dragon Age), Hinterlands (Dragon Age), Laughter, Love, Love Confessions, Mages (Dragon Age), Moving On, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Skyhold, Storm Coast (Dragon Age), The Winter Palace (Dragon Age), True Love, Wicked Grace
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-06 22:52:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 31,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16396607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/historyofamanda/pseuds/historyofamanda
Summary: The story of mage Inquisitor Evangelea Trevelyan, primarily her love story with Varric Tethras with moments of her relationships with her friends sprinkled throughout. Love, laughter, friendship, pain, forgiveness, and everything in between.Warning: This work contains Dragon Age Inquisition spoilers!





	1. When I First Saw You

She laughed.

He would never forget their first encounter in the mountains outside of Haven, when he watched in awe as she systemically and masterfully struck down every enemy that came her way with the magic that so easily sprung from her fingertips. Still panting and catching her breath, Cassandra said something to her and she burst into laughter.

Her voice was melodic and joyful. The moment had struck her so much that she was bent over, trying to prevent tears from coming to her eyes.

Still giggling slightly, she looked over at him, a bright smile on her face.  
He took this moment to quickly look her over. Her eyes were a pastel purple-gray and they shined in the sunlight. She had smooth, pale skin with a slight pink flush on her cheeks. Her hair was silver and up in a loose bun on the top of her head. Her lips were plump and a soft pink color. She was on the shorter side and petite, but had an hourglass figure with curves in all the right places. He couldn’t wait to introduce himself.

"Varric Tethras. Rogue, storyteller, and occasionally, unwelcome tagalong." Varric said, winking at the Seeker, knowing it'd annoy her. That never got old for him.

"Lovely to meet you, Varric. Evangelea Trevelyan. Prisoner, unplanned apostate, and owner of a recently glowy left hand." She said back to him with a wink and in the exact same tone he had just used when he spoke.

She laughed again and his heart raced. He had almost never found himself attracted to humans, but he was immediately blown away by her beauty. As beautiful as she was however, her laughter was what shook him to his core. The choice to join the Inquisition was not a difficult one.

As the weeks went by he found himself trying to be wherever she was, even though she seemed to always find him first.

After a long day at the Storm Coast, night fell and Sera and The Iron Bull were already asleep in their tents. Varric found Evangelea sitting by herself, the waves crashing against the shore.  
The scenery was breathtaking, the skies were full of stars and the waves reflected the moonlight. Despite the beauty of his surroundings, he found himself unable to look at anything but her. As he approached her, he saw flames flicker from her fingertips and she set the pile of wood in front of her ablaze. The way that she so easily manipulated the elements of nature without giving it a second thought never failed to amaze him. The warm glow of the fire danced across her face.

He sat down beside her. "Evening."  
She perked up slightly at the sound of his voice.

"Varric, hi. I'm sorry if I woke you." She said, a soft smile on her face. He found that he was losing himself watching the reflection of the flickering campfire in her eyes.

"No, you didn't wake me. I was up. What’s keeping you up so late tonight?"  
Evangelea shrugged.

"I've never slept well, never in my life. I always fall asleep late, wake up early, and I toss and turn a lot in my sleep. So much on my mind these days. Plus, I'm really cold and I can't exactly set my tent on fire to stay warm, unfortunately."

Varric laughed and he saw the smile on her face grow.  
"That would probably not be best, you're right." He said, still laughing.

He looked at her with all the tenderness in the world. She was truly magic in human form, he thought. Beautiful, complex, and deadly. His thoughts raced. How did he exist before he knew her? What was life like before she was near him? How could he make sure he spent the rest of his life by her side? These thoughts terrified him as much as they excited him. He had never felt this way before.

Evangelea shivered, putting her hands out to the fire. On each hand one of her fingers had a thin silver band on it. He wanted desperately to reach out and intertwine his fingers with hers.

Varric began to remove his heavy coat. _I'm sweating in front of this damn fire right now anyway,_ he thought.

"Here." He said, motioning the coat to her.

"Oh no, you don't have to do that. But thank you." She responded.

"Please, take it for now. I'm not going to sit here and watch you shiver when I can do something about it."

She smiled at him. His sincerity and sweetness warmed her heart.

She took his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. A relieved sigh escaped her, and she tucked the coat around her tighter. Immediately the smell of the coat hit her and she marveled in how wonderful it was. It smelled musky, oaky, masculine. It smelled like him.

"Ahh, much better. Thank you."

Seeing her in his coat made his heart pound. It was the closest thing he had gotten to holding her, and seeing her small self in his large wide jacket was both amusing and endlessly endearing. Seeing her comfortable and warm pleased him. He thought she was the most perfect thing he had ever laid eyes on.

They sat in silence for a while, staring at the waves as they crashed and feeling the soft mist on their faces. They chatted idly for a while, just happy to be in each other’s company.

After some time, although the last thing he wanted to do was leave her side, he knew they had an early morning ahead and exhaustion ached through this body, so he stood up.

"Well, I'm going to head in for the night. Is there anything you need?"

She looked up at him. She had a small smile on her face but her bright eyes were now tinged with sadness.

"No, thank you. I'm fine." She began to take off his coat.

"No no, keep it," he said suddenly. "I won't need it tonight anyway."

She nodded at him and smiled, putting the coat back on and wrapping it around herself tightly once again.

"Goodnight Varric." She said, her voice low and soft. "Sweet dreams."

He smiled at her. No one had ever told him to have sweet dreams before. In a life filled with every sort of trouble and malady imaginable, every day she found a new way to bring a sweetness to the world he never thought possible.

"Sweet dreams." He said back to her softly.

Varric fell asleep, but nature's call had woken him up not long after. He exited out of his tent and found Evangelea asleep on the ground next to the campfire, his coat still wrapped around her.

He smiled, but concern fell over him as well. He didn't like her sleeping on the cold, wet ground when her tent and a soft place to sleep were just steps away. She was in a deep sleep, twitching slightly every once in a while. He wondered what she was dreaming about. He didn't wish to wake her, as she had make it clear that sleep did not come easy to her. He decided to reach down and scoop her up. She was much lighter than he expected, and when he picked her up she unconsciously curled up in his arms and rested her head on his chest. He marveled in his sudden closeness to her. He carefully entered her tent and laid her down gently on her cot, covering her with a blanket. He saw a book on the small table inside. _The Tale of the Champion by Varric Tethras_. His heart swelled.

The next morning, Varric was the last to wake up. It was still very early and the rest of the crew was eating breakfast near the campfire. Sera and Iron Bull were having a loud conversation about which one of Josephine's assistants was the best looking while they chomped away at their breakfast.

Evangelea saw Varric emerging from his tent and immediately started walking towards him. She approached him, a big, playful grin on her face.

"Good morning, Mr. Tethras."

"Morning. Did you sleep well?"

"I had the best night of sleep I've had in, well, I can't even remember how long. I seem to recall falling asleep near the fire but I somehow woke up in my tent this morning. I wonder how that happened?”

Varric was a bundle of nerves, electricity firing through him as he watched her full, soft lips move as she spoke. He wasn't sure what to say. For perhaps the first time in his entire life, he wasn’t sure he could even speak.

She handed him back his coat, he took it quickly in an attempt to cover that his hands were slightly shaking.

"Thank you for this, and for moving me inside last night. You're so sweet."

She reached over and quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek, then she immediately turned away from him and walked away faster than he had time to react, a big smile on her face.

He stood dumbfounded, unable to move from where he stood. All the blood had moved into his face and it was now bright red. He slowly reached up and touched his cheek where she had just kissed it. The coat he now held in his hand smelled like her and that only added to the sensory overload he was experiencing.

From across the camp he saw the Iron Bull and Sera staring at him.

Sera was laughing and making kissing faces, and The Iron Bull winked at him, giving him a thumbs up.

A few days later, they had returned to Haven and Varric stood near a campfire, his mind buzzing.

"Freezing out here, huh?"

Varric turned around and there she was, smiling away. She was covered in several layers of fur coats, which looked silly on her small frame. It seemed like she was always cold. The sight brought a smile to his face.

She held up her hand and rubbed her fingers together, a small but beautifully detailed snowflake appearing in her palm.

"It's so amazing to me when I look at the piles of snow everywhere just how many individual snowflakes there are that make all those piles up. Each one is unique. It's really beautiful." She looked lovingly out at the distance, wonder in her eyes.

There was a spirit in her that he found so magnetic and refreshing. So many of his thoughts were consumed by darkness and uncertainty and any time she was near it was like a breath of fresh air.

Varric had been so caught up in staring at her that he had forgotten to say anything. She was standing beside him and nudged his arm with her elbow.

"Cat got your tongue, Varric?" She teased.

"Oh, I-," Varric cleared his throat loudly. "I guess I'd never thought about it that way. I like hearing your take on the world. It's definitely not like anything I've ever heard before, and I’ve heard a lot."

"Is that a good thing?" She said, a slight pout on her lips. 

"It's a very good thing." He said with a soft smile.

She laughed. His heart sang.


	2. When We Danced

One night Haven was slightly warmer than it had been in weeks so most of the Inquisition were outside gathered around a fire, taking time to relax and enjoy themselves for a few hours. The day to close the Breach was approaching and many of the Inquisition's members were more on edge than ever before.

A few of Haven's citizens were playing instruments to lighten the mood. They began to play a song that was full of life, and quickly people stood up to dance.

Sera and Evangelea were sitting next to each other near one of the fires, cracking jokes back and forth and laughing.

Varric was sitting next to Blackwall a few feet away and Blackwall couldn't help but laugh as he saw that Varric never took his eyes off Evangelea for a single second.

"You know you're staring, right?" Blackwall joked. Varric shook himself out of his daze.

"Huh? What'd you say?"

"Oh never mind." Blackwall said. "Your mind is definitely somewhere else. Thinking about a certain pretty purple-eyed herald, perhaps?"

Varric laughed.

"Am I that obvious?" He said.

"You might as well put up a sign right in front of you that says 'I'm madly in love with you, Evangelea'. That would probably be a bit more subtle than what you've been doing all night." Blackwall said, resulting in a loud laugh from Varric.

Sera took Evangelea's hand and pulled her towards the area where Haven's citizens were dancing. They linked hands and their dance was silly and very fun to watch. They cracked each other up, dipping each other up and down and spinning each other around. They had become close friends quickly and every moment they spent together was always fun and silly. Evangelea admired how fearless and honest Sera always was and Sera was immediately happy to learn that Evangelea never took herself too seriously, despite her extremely sudden and unexpected rise to power and fame.

Varric smiled as he watched Evangelea dance and twirl, losing himself in the way her hair flowed perfectly as she danced and the way her hips moved when she shook them back and forth. Watching her laugh over and over and smile her big beautiful smile was almost too much for him to bear.

"You could always ask her to dance, you know." Blackwall said, nudging Varric’s shoulder with his elbow.

Varric looked back at Blackwall with a smug smile.  
"I'll ask her if you ask our lady ambassador to dance with you. Don't try to act like you haven't been watching someone all night too, Hero." He said, Blackwall’s face instantly turning bright red.

"W-what?" Blackwall choked out. "You're crazy."

"Mhm, that's what I thought." Varric said, laughing.

The song that was playing finished and Sera and Evangelea parted, doing big goofy bows at each other to finish their dance.

Sera walked off to get some of the food that was being prepared at a nearby table and another equally upbeat song began to be played by the makeshift band.

Evangelea turned and her and Varric’s eyes met, his heart rate immediately skyrocketing. Evangelea walked up to him, still out of breath and laughter still in her voice.

"Care to dance with me, Mr. Tethras?" She said with a big smile. Blackwall smiled at Varric and nodded for him to go.

"I’m warning you, I am no dancer." Varric said.

"Like I care! Did you _see_ that ridiculous dance Sera and I just did?" She replied teasingly.

Varric laughed and his heart skipped a beat when he felt her grab his hand, leading him to the area where she was just dancing with Sera.

She then took one of his hands and placed it on her waist, and then intertwined her fingers with his with her other hand. Varric gulped loudly, realizing that typically their fingers would have just laid flat on top of the other's hand so the decision to link their fingers together was entirely her choice. He felt drunk because of the sudden amount of physical contact he now had with her.

Equally high on the moment, Evangelea’s head spun as she felt his hands on her waist and his fingers around hers. She couldn't resist her desire to try to be near him as much as possible and she was thrilled he agreed to dance with her.

She led the dance, quickly moving their arms up and down to the music and the movement of her feet mimicking that of her hands. Varric found himself getting the hang of the dance's moves quicker than he expected, mostly because of the amazing time he was having doing them.

They moved up and down, left and right, Evangelea with a huge smile on her face the entire time. She looked right into his eyes and let out a joyful laugh, causing his heart to feel like it might explode at any moment. He smiled back at her and laughed back. Her laughter and her joy were infectious and he couldn't believe he was sharing this moment with her. It felt to him like there was no one else in the world except for them at this very moment. He spun her around, much to her surprise, and when she turned back around he dipped her down to the ground. Just before he pulled her back up Evangelea threw her head back and laughed loudly. When she moved her head back up and looked right into his eyes he was grateful he didn't drop her because at that moment his entire body felt numb. He couldn't believe the way she made him feel, the way a simple glance could shake him down to his core.

When the song ended Varric quickly realized that every single member of the Inquisition had been watching them throughout their entire dance as they burst into applause when they finished dancing. Evangelea and Varric pulled apart, and she laughed and curtsied.

Evangelea turned to Varric.

"Thank you for the wonderful dance, I had so much fun! You were trying to tell me you couldn't dance, but clearly you were not telling me the truth, hmm?" She said, her voice mischievous. "Let's do that again sometime?" She added with a big smile.

" I'd love to do that again any time." Varric said warmly.

"Oooh, see now you're done for because I will definitely take you up on that offer." She replied, laughter still in her voice.

As she walked away from him his mind was racing. The second she walked away all he wanted was for her to come back to him.

_Shit. I love her._

That was the first time he had ever actually had that exact thought in his mind. This was the moment he realized that his feelings for her were far beyond attraction, beyond any passing fancy. He was in love with her and couldn't imagine for a single second a life without her in it now.

_Maker. I love her. I really, truly love her._

Varric wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to wait to tell her how he felt about her. Even though he seemed almost positive that there was something between them, something real, a crippling fear of her rejection was more than he could deal with. He was full of self-doubt, sure that someone as vibrant and full of life as her would have no interest in loving him. His relationship with Bianca was nothing less than…complicated…and more often than not he ended up getting his heart broken no matter how hard he tried to make her love him. He hoped more than he had ever hoped for anything before that this was more, that Evangelea might love him too, but he kept telling himself that she might just be acting kind and friendly to him as she was with everyone. But somewhere deep down inside, despite his fears and his doubts, he knew there was something far more than just friendship between them and he needed to do something about it very soon.


	3. When We Danced, Part 2

Varric decided to go into the tavern early in the evening, as the cold was becoming a little too much to be outside in comfortably and something to drink sounded particularly appealing.

He walked past a door in the back of the tavern and heard a soft, sweet sound. A sound so foreign to him that he stopped dead in his tracks to listen to it.

It was humming. It was Evangelea. The moment he realized that the song was coming from her he felt his chest tighten from nerves. He stood by the door, but far enough away where she still couldn't see him as the door was cracked open slightly. He stood there for a few moments, enjoying the quiet humming of a song he'd never heard before.

He was trying desperately to come up with any excuse to knock on her door. Anything to speak to her again as he found himself constantly aching to do. After their dance the other night he thought about little else than how she felt in his arms. The only other thing he seemed to think about lately was when she kissed him on the cheek at the Storm Coast. That never left his mind.

He cleared his throat and built up his courage as best he could. "Evangelea? Is that you in there?"

She stopped humming immediately and a big smile fell on her face. Her heart beat a little faster when she heard his voice call out to her.

"Yep, it's me! Come in." She said excitedly.

Varric walked in and attempted to look even slightly less nervous than he felt, but he knew he was likely failing miserably.

She was sitting in front of a mirror, a hairbrush in her hand. She had some powder and other types of makeup on the vanity and a candle was lit in front of her, soft warm light moving across her face. She ran the brush through her silver hair a few more times and then set it down on the vanity.

"You know, you can me Lea if you'd like. I know Evangelea can be a mouthful."

Varric let out a small laugh. He was leaning a bit awkwardly in the doorway, his arms crossed to help prevent him from falling over.

"Please, come in. Sit, make yourself comfortable." She said as she pulled a chair that was near her bed up close to where she was sitting and patted on the seat.

He sat down, grateful for the stabilization when his legs felt so wobbly. "It's nice to see you, how are you?" She said with a smile.

"Hanging in there, and yourself?"

"I'm doing well, thank you. Just enjoying a few quiet moments before the tavern gets really loud and busy."

"I didn't realize you were staying back here." Varric said. "I assumed you'd be lodging in the chantry. Or that room they had you in the first night here."

"Honestly, that chantry building always sort of gave me the creeps. Too cold, too dark, too...echo- y." She said with a laugh. "I very much prefer to stay back here rather than the first room they had me in, that was too far away from everyone and everything. The bar owner was kind enough to let me stay in this room during the time we're in Haven."

When he heard her laugh he felt all the blood rush to his face. He exhaled slowly, overwhelmed by his emotions.

"Was there something I can do for you?" She asked him.

Varric realized immediately he hadn't actually decided on his excuse to be there so he decided to just go with (mostly) the truth.

"I just uh-I heard you humming from outside the door and I was wondering who that lovely sound was coming from. Of course it was you, everything you do is lovely."

 _Shit,_ he thought. _Nice going._

_Lovely. Lovely, though. That name works._

A big smile came across her face and she giggled.

"Why, thank you! You're quite lovely yourself. Sorry about the humming, I didn't realize anyone else could hear it."

"Oh no, I was enjoying it very much." He replied. "What song was it?"

"You know, I'm not actually sure. I think I came up with the melody one day when I was young and it's just been in my head ever since."

Varric found himself enchanted watching her speak, the candlelight dancing across her face.

"I meant to thank you again for the wonderful dance the other night, I had an amazing time." She said, her voice slightly lower and softer.

"I did too. That was the most fun I've had in ages." He replied.

Suddenly the conversation became less nervous, but a more serious feeling grew in the air as their eye contact lingered just a little longer than normal.

As soon as the air grew quiet between them, they heard Maryden start to play a song from the main room of the tavern. The song was slow and sweet, similar to the one Evangelea was humming.

"Oh, I love it when she plays this one! Her music is so beautiful." Evangelea said.

 _Not as beautiful as you,_ he thought. _But then again, nothing is._

Despite his nerves and the knots in his stomach he had been around long enough to know an opportunity when he saw one. He stood up and stretched out his hand to her.

"Would you care for another dance, Lovely?" He said, smiling softly.

Her heart pounded with joy in her chest and she flashed him a huge, bright smile. "Of course, always." She replied, almost dizzy with excitement.

He walked out with her to the main room of the tavern and they were alone, save for Maryden and one of the people keeping the bar who was drying some glasses. The night had just begun and people wouldn't start showing up for at least a few more minutes.

He took one of her hands in his and placed the other on her waist, her placing her hand on his shoulder in return.

They danced slowly and smoothly back and forth, making occasional nervous eye contact. He could've sworn he noticed a blush fall on her cheeks when their eyes met.

Maryden watched them from across the room and smiled, singing her song a little louder to make sure they could hear it well from across the room.

"How lucky I am to have such a skilled dance partner." Evangelea said after a few quiet moments.

"I can say the same thing." Varric replied, marveling in his current access to her body, the fact he was holding her close to him in a sweet, slow dance.

She looked up into his eyes and smiled, causing his heart to flutter in his chest. He would've kissed her right then and there if they had been alone, but his nerves got the better of him and he decided not to push his luck.

The song ended and they stood still in each other's arms now, neither wanting to part. "Thank you for another wonderful dance, Varric."

"It was my pleasure."

The first group of people of the evening entered the tavern and they parted, save for their hands that were still linked together. She squeezed his hand slightly as she let it go.

"Come by and visit anytime, okay?" She said sweetly.

He gulped nervously and all he found he could do was nod in response.

He watched her walk away back into her room and collapsed in a chair behind him, surprised his legs didn't go out earlier.

From across the room he saw Maryden looking at him as she strummed her lute and she smiled, nodded at him, and winked. He smiled back at her, never having been so grateful for a bard's song in his life.


	4. When I Told You

Varric had just fought beside Evangelea for hours, helping defend Haven against The Elder One's army of red templars. It appeared that the breach was sealed for the moment and she was very grateful that they had the rebel mages as their allies to fight these monsters, but the fight was still a brutal one. She had disappeared under the destruction of an avalanche, one she had cleverly induced with a trebuchet to stop Corypheus in his tracks.

The minutes had turned into hours and there was still no sign of her. Varric wasn't showing it, but internally he was panicked. His insides ached with worry and his heart was just about broken, but he still held out hope.

Those who survived the attack on Haven set up camp in the middle of nowhere with nothing but snow for miles in every direction. It made sense to everyone that the Herald of Andraste was likely dead, either from the avalanche or the harsh weather.

Varric’s pain was strewn across his face, and The Iron Bull took notice of this. Bull walked up and put his hand on Varric's shoulder.

"Hey. I'm sure she'll make it out of this alright." Bull said quietly. Varric looked up at Bull and forced a small smile.

"Sure hoping." Varric said, worry thick in his voice.

"I know how you feel about her." Bull continued, "And I know she feels the same way about you."

Varric sat up quickly, taken aback by Bull’s statement. "You what? How do you know that?"

"Oh come on. Everyone has seen the way she looks at you, the way she always seems to be where you are. Whenever she finished talking to you we found her humming and damn near dancing around the village. That dance you shared with her the other night where you both couldn't keep your eyes off each other? The way she looked at you that night, that giant smile on her face seemed like enough to prove it to me. Isn't it obvious?"

Varric was startled by this information. While he was overjoyed to learn for certain that she returned his feelings, that knowledge made the pain and ceaseless worry he was feeling that much worse.

"When she gets out of this you've got to tell her." Bull said.

Varric sighed. "I know."

Bull gave Varric a few sympathetic pats on the shoulder and walked away.

Another hour had passed and the last few glimmers of hope he had left were beginning to fade away as the snowstorm was getting worse by the minute.

Varric had just about given up when he heard Cassandra and Cullen's yells from across the camp.

"There! It's her!" Cullen yelled as him and Cassandra began to run.

"Thank the Maker!" Cassandra exclaimed, relief flooding her voice.

Varric ran up alongside Cassandra and Cullen as fast as he could. As soon as she was set down in the camp, Cullen and Cassandra allowed him to proceed in taking care of her. He did not leave her side for a long time, only breaking away for a little while to help tend to the injured. His heart and mind were overwhelmed, he was drowning in relief. He had never felt this way about anyone, and nearly losing her forever, the pain that caused him, just solidified how much she meant to him.

She woke up a few hours later, still exhausted but now warm and comfortable. When Varric saw her from across the camp, she had layers and layers of blankets surrounding her and she pulled them tighter as she spoke to Mother Giselle. Mother Giselle walked away to attend to some of the now-refugees of Haven and Varric quickly took his chance to speak to her before everyone else realized she was awake.

Evangelea saw Varric approaching her and she gave him the sweetest smile she could manage with the little energy she had left.

"Well, hello," she said. "You're a sight for sore eyes. Literally, like every part of my body hurts. I think my eyes are actually sore." Her unending sense of humor combined with his relief caused him to let out a guttural laugh. She laughed along with him, and when they finished laughing she noticed that his overall demeanor became much more serious.

"Evangelea," he began. "I need to tell you something. I- um, shit. This sounded much better the hundred times I said it in my head." He sat up straighter and looked right into her eyes.

"I care about you, Lea. So much. You are incredible and I am just absolutely crazy about you. It’s been great to serve the Inquisition and fight alongside you and all, but I want our relationship to be more. After I almost just lost you forever, I knew I couldn't wait a moment longer to tell you how I feel about you."

She stared at him, a brightness flaring in her eyes that he knew was not there just moments ago. He had just poured his heart out to her and here he was, vulnerable, silent, waiting.

She took both of his hands in hers, his mind set ablaze the moment she touched him. Her hands were soft and delicate, and warm in his.

"I care for you too, Varric. Very much. Falling into the avalanche was absolutely terrifying, and one of the first things I thought when I started falling was how heartbroken I was that I might never get to see you again. You have been so sweet and endlessly kind to me and the best part of all of this madness has been that I got the chance to meet you. From the moment I met you I knew I never wanted to be apart from you again."

The sincerity of her words touched him, and as he was about to reply, she continued,

"And you're ridiculously handsome too. Like, ridiculously. I have done nothing but stare at you for weeks, I swear." She exhaled, a silly grin spreading across her face. "Whew, felt good to get that out. Sera's been listening to me say it forever now and I'm sure she's sick of hearing it."

Varric let out a laugh. That endlessly silly attitude on a woman with such serious tasks ahead of her was exactly why he knew he was falling in love with her.

"Coming from the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, that's a big compliment. Almost feels like I must be dreaming."

"You must be, obviously." She said with a mischievous smile. She stood up slowly and he did the same, a worried look on his face.

"Are you alright? Don't push yourself too hard. You've been through enough for one day." He said to her.

She then rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly and burying her face in his chest.

He had been waiting for this embrace for so long that when it finally happened, he just stood there for a moment, his arms out to his sides. The warmth of her body on his calmed his nerves and he wrapped his arms around her. After a minute or so, they pulled apart slightly and she looked at him, her eyes glistening. She was very short for a human and their height difference was only about two inches. When he looked into her eyes, she was beaming. She let out a laugh, the laugh that stole his heart away the first time they met, and for once he was able to react the way he had wanted to for so long. He reached down and kissed her deeply, her lips smooth and soft on his. He took her face in both of his hands and pulled it towards him, deepening the kiss even further. She still had her arms wrapped around his waist and she hugged him tighter. After a few moments their lips finally parted.

"FINALLY!!!!" They heard Sera scream from across the camp. "Now I don't have to listen to her go on and on about oooh he's so handsome and oooh his books and ooh his chest hair and ooooh ooh ooooooh!"

Evangelea laughed at Sera's remarks.  
"See? Told you." She said to Varric, making the big smile on his face grow even larger.

"Way to go!" The Iron Bull yelled out.

Blackwall gave Varric and Evangelea a knowing smile, while Cassandra's mouth hung open in surprise behind him.

"That...is not a pairing I would have expected." Cassandra said.

Leliana looked over at her. "With all the death and destruction we've all been seeing lately, it's good to have a little romance around here."

"I think it works, actually." Dorian responded with a slight smile, his arms folded. "They’re both about as clever as it gets but she's also the embodiment of sweetness, if sweetness was also deadly and could burn your face off anytime it wanted to."

Cassandra grunted and walked away.

Evangelea wrapped one arm around Varric's waist and smiled brightly at her friends. She laughed and Varric turned to her to kiss her again.

"Alright, get a room you two!" Dorian said, laughter in his voice.

"There are no rooms here." Cole said, appearing by Dorian suddenly. 

"Oh, right." Dorian replied.

Evangelea let out another big laugh and it was so booming and infectious that everyone else followed. Soon the entirety of her inner circle (except Cole, who stood still with a deeply confused expression on his face) burst out into a chorus of cathartic laughter. After everything they had all just been through, it felt so good to find something to laugh about.


	5. When You Found Me

Upon arriving at Skyhold, the other members of the Inquisition wasted no time officially making Evangelea their Inquisitor. Varric watched her as she stood up at the top of the stairs, Leliana placing the ceremonial sword in her hands. The sword was twice as big as she was, but she held it like it was no trouble whatsoever. Cullen had rallied the troops and civilians surrounding him so excitedly that even Josephine couldn't help but yell out, much to her immediate embarrassment. Varric and Sera were standing next to each other and pride was glowing in his eyes.

Sera rested her elbow on his shoulder and said to him in an uncharacteristically quiet voice, "You nabbed a good one, yeah? I like you, but do anything to hurt her and I'll put an arrow through you faster than you can blink."

Varric laughed, but his stomach flooded with guilt. His mind was filled with thoughts of Bianca, how he would handle officially ending things with the woman he spent 20 years thinking he loved.

So much chaos surrounded her, but Evangelea locked eyes with Varric and his heart filled with emotion. No one had ever made him feel this way. He truly felt like he was dreaming every time her amethyst eyes met his.

The celebration ended and Evangelea was quickly whisked away by her advisors to attend to important matters.

Varric set off to find quiet place in the massive fortress that the Inquisition made its new home. He needed to reach out to Hawke, to tell her about everything.

He walked the grounds and eventually came to a quiet room that wasn’t being used by anyone at the moment. He settled here, grateful for a quiet place after such a loud day. A few hours passed and he had made a fire in the fireplace and was sitting enjoying its warmth as the night grew cold.

"Hey there."

He turned around quickly and stood up.

She stood at the entrance to the room in a long coat, her hair pulled up in a ponytail. He was overjoyed to see her. 

"Good evening to you, Lovely."

"I've been looking all over for you. This place is easy to get lost in." She said, her eyes scoping out the building.

Varric laughed slightly. "It sure is. I knew you would be busy with getting things settled around here, so I decided to look around myself and this is where I ended up."

She walked up to him and got as close as she could to him without them touching. The air between them was electric.

"I like it here." She said, moving her face even closer to his.

He suddenly became aware of his heart pounding in his chest. He wondered if she could hear it. "It's nice and warm here, quiet too." She continued. "But you know what makes this place perfect?" She said in almost a whisper, now moving her lips not even an inch away from his. 

"What's that?" He said, breathless.

"You're here." She said, and immediately she moved in and pressed her lips to his, sweetly but forcefully.

He gasped slightly upon her touch and quickly took her by the waist with one arm, placing his other hand on her cheek.

Their lips did not part for several minutes and when they did, they opened their eyes and when he looked into hers they were fiery, passionate. He did not know how he lived without her kiss before now, without her in his arms.

"You don't mind if I stop by here now and then, do you?" She said, biting her lower lip slightly. 

"How about you just never leave?" He replied, pulling her back in for more kisses.

She let out a small laugh as he pulled her in and his mind caught fire once again.


	6. When You Took My Breath Away

A month had passed and the entire Inquisition had been working tirelessly to improve Skyhold, recruit and train their soldiers, and take care of the refugees who made it to the fortress seeking sanctuary.

"A vacation? In the middle of everything?" Cullen said, a hard frown on his face.

"It's not a vacation, Commander. It's just a few days for all of us to get away from Skyhold and relax!" Evangelea said.

"Inquisitor, I'm sure that now is not the time to-" Josephine began.  
The Inquisitor put her hand up to cut Josephine off before she could continue.

"Cullen. Josephine. Leliana. Hear me out, alright? Solas has done nothing but spend all day helping renovate Skyhold and the rest of his time he spends cooped up in that room of his. Varric and Cassandra are about ready to bite each other's heads off. Sera has been out helping the refugees almost all day every day and at night when she's not in the tavern downstairs having drinks she's shooting arrows into her ceiling out of frustration over feeling like she hasn't done enough to help. Cole looks exhausted. More so than usual. Dorian has gone through almost every book in our library, The Iron Bull looks like he's ready to punch through a wall, and-"

"Okay, I get your point." Cullen said, exhaustion obvious in his face. "You may be right. My apologies Inquisitor. Sometimes with everything being so nonstop I get so caught up in my own work that I forget to stop and check on how the rest of the crew is doing."

"We have plenty of people working in Skyhold that can keep things afloat for a few days. Please, you guys?" Evangelea pleaded.

Josephine and Leliana looked at each other and Leliana cracked a smile. "She's right, you know." Leliana said.

Josephine sighed. "I know."  
Josephine smiled, defeated but also relieved.

"Alright Inquisitor, a few days off it is. Where is it you're planning on having us go, exactly?" Josephine said.

A big smile spread across Evangelea's face. "I know just the place!"

\-----------------------------------

Evangelea, her entire inner circle and her advisors arrived at their destination a few days later.

The building they approached was very large, clearly with plenty of space to hold all thirteen of them.

"Whoa, this place is huge." Varric said.

"Warm fireplaces, crackling in the night. Splashes of cool water, the slippery feel of leaves in your fingers. Good, happy memories." Cole said. A small smile fell across his face. "I like it here."

"You haven't even been inside yet!" Sera yelled.

Evangelea stepped off her horse and approached the door where an older, well-dressed man was standing.

"Denry!" She exclaimed, running into his arms and embracing him. 

"Lea darling, it is so good to see you. It has been far too long." The man said to her.  
She hugged him tightly and then turned around to face the rest of the group.

"Everyone, this is Denry. He has been serving the Trevelyan family for the last 40 years. He may work for us, but he's family. I owe so much to this wonderful, wonderful man."

"It is a pleasure and an honor to meet you all." Denry said, bowing slightly.

"This is an estate of my family's that we used to spend holidays at when I was young, before I went into the Circle." Evangelea began. "This place means a lot to me, and I couldn't think of anywhere better to spend a few days off with all of you. Please come inside!"

The estate was large, but cozy. Several fireplaces were lit and moonlight shined through the windows. Everyone looked around and eventually set their things down in one of the 6 bedrooms.

"Holy shit!" Varric said, looking out of the back window.  
Everyone came to investigate and several mouths dropped at the sight.

In the backyard of the estate was an enormous swimming hole, surrounded by the light of torches. Surrounding the pool were countless dark green weeping willow trees, hanging down above the water. The lush greenery and the sparkling crystal clear pool was truly a beautiful sight to behold.

"I call dibs on the pool in the mornin'!" Sera yelled from the back of the house.

After everyone got settled in the house, the group gathered in the main living area. Dorian had found the estate's study within minutes of entering and had already scoured the library. He was curled up with a book in the corner of the room in the biggest, cushiest chair to be found. Sera and the Iron Bull sat near the kitchen, having already delved into the extensive alcohol cabinet.  
Vivienne, Leliana, and Solas had retired to their quarters early, exhausted from the trip.

Evangelea, Varric, Blackwall, Cullen, Josephine, and Cole were all seated at a dining table playing a game of Wicked Grace.

Evangelea spent most of the evening telling stories of her antics at the Circle, like setting some of the stricter and more unpleasant templars' documents on fire, freezing the water in their glasses right as they were about to drink them, sneaking out at night to practice their barrier making skills in the nearby forests, drawing on other mages faces while they slept, and all kinds of other teenage antics that kept the table rolling with laughter.

As they played, Varric took time to savor this moment, to enjoy every single second and how wonderful it was. He was surrounded by friends who cared for him, and this amazing, incredible, beautiful, breathtaking woman at the table across from him was his to kiss, to hold, to be near any time he wished. He only wished that his friends from back home in Kirkwall could be here. He couldn’t wait for them to meet her, he knew they'd all love her. She lit up every single room she walked into and she made him laugh like no one ever had.

Cassandra wiped a tear from her eyes as she doubled over in her chair laughing. "There is absolutely no way you got away with that!" She yelled.

Evangelea winked at her, her eyes twinkling. "With the right lightning spell and a well-placed confusion grenade, you can get away with almost anything!"

Still laughing, Varric raised up his glass.

"A toast! To our illustrious and hilarious leader, Evangelea!" Varric toasted, his eyes sparkling. The table clinked its glasses together and finished up their last game, Josephine winning as usual.

"Alright everyone, I am exhausted. Time for bed." Josephine said, scooting away from the table.

Varric looked over and saw Sera passed out on a fluffy rug on the floor near the fireplace and Iron Bull strung out asleep on the couch near her, drooling onto the arm of the couch.

Evangelea giggled. "Just leave them."

The first night, Varric retired to his room that he had chosen to share with Bull, not wanting to make any presumptions about his place in the estate. Evangelea had her own private room, the one she had stayed in as a child. After a long, happy, and slightly drunken night, the Inquisition's core members took a night of well-deserved sleep, with no specified time to wake up in the morning.

The next morning, one by one the crew emerged from their rooms, sleepily stepping out into the hallways.

"I smell food." The Iron Bull said, rubbing his eye.

Denry and the kitchen staff had prepared a large banquet sized spread of food for everyone, consisting of every kind of fruit and meat and cheese imaginable.

Varric looked at the impressive display. "It feels good to be a Trevelyan for a weekend!" He said.

Varric was out preparing a plate of food for himself and he turned and saw Evangelea emerging from her room. He immediately did a double take as he saw something he had never seen before: her legs.

It was comfortably warm at the estate at all times, far different from the cold mountain weather at Skyhold. Evangelea emerged wearing soft blue cotton shorts and a loosely tied teal colored robe with a white tank top underneath. Her hair was loosely tied in a messy, bright silver bun and some pieces of hair flowed down her face. Her legs were pale, soft and smooth and she had on no shoes, revealing light purple painted toenails. Even though everyone in the Inquisition was still in their sleeping clothes, none of them had ever seen their Inquisitor dressed this casually and the entire room stopped to stare at her. They then almost immediately shifted their stares over to Varric, whose face was now flushed.

Evangelea had all eyes on her and to most people that would've been intimidating, but she just flashed her famous big smile.

"Good morning everyone!"

"She's so pretty." Sera said to herself. "Kind of annoying how pretty she is, innit?" She said, nudging The Iron Bull.

"Yeah, she's a real pretty one," Bull agreed, "She's more like a little sister to me, but she's a looker, no question. Varric's definitely a lucky man."

Vivienne was standing near Bull, sipping on a cup of tea. She was in a delicate and beautiful morning robe, but she had not left her room until her makeup was done to perfection as usual.

"Something needs to be done about that hair, but she is ravishing as always. Look at Varric, he took one look at her and he's a mess. It's sort of charming, really." Vivienne said with an amused smile on her face.

Evangelea walked in an almost dancing motion up to Varric, who was just standing in front of the food holding his plate, his eyes fixated on her. She reached over and kissed his cheek. "Good morning!" she said, a big bright smile on her face, her cheeks rosy. "Denry, thank you so much for all of this! It looks so amazing!"

Evangelea looked over at the two elves who were standing beside Denry. One of them had jet black hair and light blue eyes, her face soft and kind. The other had red hair and green eyes, her cheeks covered in freckles. They both had delighted expressions on their face. Immediately after she saw them, Evangelea's eyes widened with excitement. "Alahna! Rivera!" She cried out, and ran up to hug them both. She wrapped her arms around both of them and squeezed tightly. "I have missed you both so much, how are you?"

"We are well, Miss Lea. We have missed you too! We have been so worried about you, but all of the staff is so proud of everything you've accomplished. It's an honor to have the Inquisition here."

Dorian leaned over to the Iron Bull and said quietly, "I have been around the upper echelons of society my entire life, and I have never seen anyone treat her servants as well as she does. She doesn't even act like they work here, they're just her friends. It's remarkable."

"Remarkable indeed," said Cullen. "The Trevelyans are a relatively powerful noble house and unless you knew her name upon meeting her you'd never even suspect she came from such a powerful background."

"Not surprising," Bull replied. "She's never acted like she came from money or power one second as long as I've known her. It's almost like she knows it, but remains blissfully unaware that her status really means anything or that she could be bitchy about it if she wanted to."

"That's why we love 'er," Sera chimed in, "She's the least nobley noble I've ever known, and that's a big part of what makes her a-okay in my book."

Varric gulped loudly watching Evangelea move around the room. 

_Why can't I ever seem to get myself together around her,_ he thought. _She could ask me for the entire world and damn it, I would find a way to get it for her._

"Good morning, Lovely. You're looking ravishing." He said, his voice smooth.

"Well thank you!" She said brightly. "You're looking quite ravishing yourself." She said with a giggle and a wink.

Everyone sat around and chatted while they ate. Josephine and Cullen broke the trip's rules about working and discussed various mission plans while Vivienne and Solas spoke about the pros and cons of various staff attachments.

In the backyard, sunlight reflected off the shimmering water of the pool and the trees moved softly in the breeze. The day was warm, sunny, and beautiful. After everyone had finished their breakfasts, Sera came out of her room in a red and yellow one piece swimsuit and immediately started running towards the pool.

"Are we swimmin' or what?!?!" she yelled, followed by a massive cannonball into the water.


	7. When You Told Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some NSFW content is in this chapter!

Following Sera's lead, the rest of the Inquisition crew changed into their bathing suits and dived into the pool. The water was crystal clear, cool, and perfectly refreshing on the warm summer day. Sera, The Iron Bull, Blackwall, and Cullen were playing a game of chicken, where Sera was on Bull's shoulders, Blackwall was on Cullen's and they attempted to knock each other down.

"Come on Cullen, you call yourself coordinated?! We can take these two!" Yelled Blackwall, attempting to balance himself.

"Maker's breath Blackwall, stop moving so much!" Cullen replied.

Sera and the Iron Bull took this argument as their chance and crashed into the two, causing them both to backflop in the water. Sera and Bull burst into uproarious laughter and high fived each other. The splash from Blackwall and Cullen's defeat caused Dorian to give them an annoyed look and move backwards to the edge of the pool so his book didn't get wet. Vivienne was lying out on a chair near the edge of the water, sunning herself and napping.

Blackwall came to the surface of the water and started laughing. "You got this one, but next time you're going down!"

"Yeah right, you wish!" Sera responded. Varric had just walked out to the backyard.

"Hey Varric!" Bull called out to him. "Where's your girl! You and her vs me and Sera, I gotta see this!"

Varric laughed, and he was about to respond when Evangelea stepped outside to the backyard.

"You're going down!" Evangelea cried out. 

She looked Varric up and down. He was fit and broad chested, his chest was covered in thick, red hair. He wore swimming trunks that revealed his muscular legs. She found herself undressing him with her eyes, and he could tell.

She had on a light metallic lilac one piece bathing suit that was cut out on the sides, revealing the curve of her hips. The suit accentuated every single one of her features and immediately upon seeing her, Varric’s blood ignited.

 _Maker's breath,_ he thought. _I'm the luckiest man in history._

He ran up to her and scooped her up, and she let out a chorus of delighted laughter upon being picked up. Varric jumped into the pool with her still in his arms, her letting out a playful scream as they splashed into the water.

They came to the surface and Evangelea playfully punched Varric in the arm, feigning anger.

"This water's freaking freezing!" She said.  
"What's this, Lady Inquisitor?" Sera teased. "Too ch-ch-ch-chilly to play with us?" Evangelea looked Sera dead in the eyes and smiled.  
"Let's do this." Evangelea said.

She situated herself on Varric ‘s shoulders. He marveled at the access to her legs. They were perfect and unbelievably soft, he thought. He held onto her tightly as he watched Sera and Evangelea's tiny frames wrestle above him. Varric and Iron Bull laughed loudly as the battle raged on. Eventually, Evangelea grabbed on to Sera's shoulders just right and pushed, sending her and The Iron Bull careening down into the water.

Sera and Bull emerged, spitting water out of their mouths.  
"You win this round, boss!" Bull said, laughter still in his voice. "Who's the chilly one now, hmm?" Evangelea said teasingly to Sera. Sera stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at Evangelea.

Evangelea was still laughing as she wrapped her arms around Varric ‘s neck, the two floating in the water.

"How are you doing today, Mr. Tethras?" She said to him, her cheeks red from having laughed so long. 

"Better than ever." He said, his eyes blissful.

She surprised him by leaning close into his ear.  
"I can think of something to make today even better, if you're interested." She whispered. Her tone of voice alone was enough for him to not ask any questions.

She took his hand and they both got out of the water, grabbing the towels set out on the ground for them. As they walked back into the house, Dorian, Blackwall, and Bull stood next to each other at the edge of the pool. Blackwall handed Bull a silver coin.

"Told you he was gonna get laid on this trip." Bull said.

"We all knew that," Blackwall responded, "But I didn't think she'd be the one to initiate it."

Dorian laughed. "She's all sweet on the surface but there's some serious fire under all that sweet, I assure you. One of the benefits of not being attracted to women is that women like our Inquisitor tend to confide quite a bit in me. She's absolutely crazy about him, I'm surprised this took this long."

Cole appeared next to them, rising up from the bottom of the pool. His hair was slicked back fully exposing his face, a rare sight.

"Where has she gone? They left so suddenly, are they alright? Do they need any help?"

Bull chuckled. "No, they're fine. Trust me. Let me try to explain this to you the best that I can..."

Back inside the house, Evangelea led Varric by his hand into her room, shutting the door behind them quickly.

She crashed her lips to his, her breaths now heavy and her eyes filled with need. She tugged on his swim trunks, pushing them down on the floor and revealing him in his entirety to her.

Their lips never parting, he scrambled to peel her wet bathing suit off of her, untying the string knot around her neck and then sliding the entire suit down and off her.

Now with no clothing to get in their way, she pushed him down onto her bed and moved on top of him, wasting no time. Their lovemaking was frenzied and passionate and let out so many months of unresolved tension that ached through them both. Varric learned that afternoon that magic could be used in ways he'd never even dreamed of.

Solas passed by the Inquisitor's door and was about to knock on it, but when he heard the sounds emanating from the room he just stood there for a moment, slightly dumbfounded, and immediately upon understanding what was occurring he quickly walked past the door. He passed Cullen in the hallway.

"Is the Inquisitor in there? I need to speak with her about-"

"I assure you Commander, she is otherwise VERY occupied at the moment." Solas said, a smirk on his face.

"She's what? She's-oh. OH." Cullen cleared his throat. "Yes, um, yes, I see. Alright. Thank you." Cullen turned around immediately and walked back outside alongside Solas.

After they finished, Evangelea and Varric laid on her bed, holding each other close.

"You are everything I've ever dreamed of." Varric said to her as he stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

She looked into his eyes and put her hand on his cheek. 

"I love you." She said.

Varric was overwhelmed by her words. Every emotion possible flooded through him, but one emotion had been there all along, from the moment he first saw her: love. He had been madly in love with her since he heard her laugh, since the second their eyes met. So much about his life had been difficult, love being arguably the most difficult thing, but this was something he knew was perhaps the only thing he had ever been one hundred percent certain about.

"I love you more than anything." He said, their lips meeting once again.


	8. When We Spent One Last Day Away

After an entire day of sunshine, water, and relaxation the last night of the trip came upon the Inquisition. Everyone seemed sad to see the trip end, even Cullen and Josephine, who worked through most of it.

Evangelea was laying on her stomach near the fireplace, flipping through Varric's latest chapter of _Swords and Shields_. Cassandra had gotten her hooked on the series and knowledge of the Inquisitor's interest in the books (and relationship with their author, word travels fast) skyrocketed their sales throughout Thedas, much to Varric's delight. Dorian sat on a loveseat behind her reading a book on Tevinter history in one hand and sipping a cup of tea in the other. Dorian looked at the Inquisitor for a moment, a smile on his face. He never ceased to be amazed at how a woman with the fate of literally the entire world in her hands managed to take quiet moments like this and lose herself in a book with the most pleasant of expressions on her face. She looked truly at peace, like she didn't have a concern in the world.

"This is a very good thing you've done, Inquisitor." Dorian said quietly. 

She turned her head to look at him.  
"What thing?" She replied.

"This whole trip, everything about it. Look at how much good it's done for everyone. Look at Varric and Cassandra over there, laughing and chatting about that hideous smut you call a book that you're reading. Cullen and Josephine have worked far too much during this trip, but far less than I expected. Cullen spent several hours today enjoying time in the water and Josephine has been having a ball catching up with Leliana, they've been almost inseparable. Cole has socialized more in the last two days than I've ever seen him and Vivienne's been far less of a prude than usual. Plus, seeing you and Varric have time together that's just for leisure instead of constantly being on battlefields fighting together has been a most welcome sight. This trip was a wonderful idea, my dear. Thank you forcing your advisors to make this happen."

Evangelea smiled brightly at her dear friend.  
"Thank you, love. I knew this would be just the thing everyone needed."

After several more hours of drinking, dancing, singing, laughing, and a much needed night with no thoughts of Corypheus, rebel mages, and red templars, the Inquisition retired to their chambers for the last night of the trip.

Varric and Evangelea woke up the next morning in each other's arms.  
"As much as I hate to say this, we have to get up. We have to leave in an hour." Varric said, his voice low and gravely.

Evangelea turned over and curled herself up into their blanket.  
"Mmm, no. Don't want to." She said softly, her eyes still shut.

"Come on Lovely, we need to start our day."

He began to gently kiss along her jawline and while her eyes were still closed, a smile spread across her face and he heard her softly exhale. After a few moments, she turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him and kissing him deeply.

Their lips parted for just a moment and she moved herself on top of him, sitting up on his hips. She slowly pulled her nightgown up over her head and threw it across the room, leaving her completely bared.

"This though, this I'll wake up for." She said, her voice like warm honey.

An hour had passed and the Inquisition had completely packed up and were loading up their carriages outside the front of the estate.

Evangelea stood outside the front door, saying her goodbyes to the estate's staff.

"Goodbye Denry. I love you and I'll miss you so much! Thank you so much for taking such good care of my friends these last few days. You're the best. Like you didn’t already know that."

Denry laughed. "I love you too, Lea. Please take care of yourself and be safe out there, alright? Your family and all of their staff are always so worried about you. Please write to us more often."

Evangelea stuck out her pinky to Denry with the most serious of expressions on her face, and when Denry wrapped his pinky around hers her expression shifted into a big smile.

"Pinky swear. I'll write every week." She said.

She hugged Denry tightly and then turned to the two elven women standing beside him. 

"Alahna, Rivera, I will miss you both so much. Thank you so much for everything."

"We will miss you too, Miss Lea." Alahna replied, her voice small and thickly accented.  
"It was very exciting to meet the famous Inquisition!" Rivera squeaked.

Evangelea laughed and then hugged them both, kissing them both on the cheek as she pulled away.

Cullen approached Denry and shook his hand.  
"On behalf of the entire Inquisition I want to thank you very much sir for all of your hospitality. To you as well, ladies." He said, motioning to Alahna and Rivera. The girls giggled nervously.

"It has been an honor, Commander." Denry replied, his voice soft and sincere.

Blackwall stood beside Varric looking at the front of the estate, his arms crossed.

"I'm actually really going to miss this place. When the Inquisitor mentioned taking everyone on a vacation I thought Cullen was going to completely lose his shit but somehow she pulled this off and this turned out to be the best weekend I've had in years. You're a really lucky bastard, Varric. You know that, right?"

"I sure do. I'm going to miss this place as well. Incredible memories were made here." Varric replied.

"Oh, I bet." Blackwall replied with a wink and nudge, causing a big laugh to escape from Varric. 

Evangelea approached Varric and Blackwall.

"I'm all set!" she said, turning to Cullen. "Everyone ready to go, Commander?"

"Yes, Inquisitor." Cullen replied. "Thank you for sharing your family's estate with all of us, it's been a wonderful few days."

"Of course! Anytime we want to come back, we can. All of you are always welcome here." She replied.

"I'm definitely thinking that this should be annual thing, considering we all survive another year and everything." Varric said.

Evangelea laughed.  
"Let's plan on surviving, okay?"


	9. When You Two Met

Evangelea took a deep breath in, the cold mountain air filling her lungs. The breeze felt good on her skin, crisp and clean. 

Varric was supposed to be introducing her to a "friend", someone he made a very particular effort not to mention by name in public. Evangelea was pretty sure she knew exactly what she was headed into, but she couldn't be sure. 

Her suspicions were immediately confirmed as soon as she approached the rooftop where Varric and his friend stood.

A woman with chestnut hair and golden eyes turned around to face her, a soft but troubled expression on her face.

"Inquisitor, meet Hawke. The Champion of Kirkwall."

Evangelea smiled.

"So good to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you." Hawke said, extending out her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," Evangelea began, shaking Hawke's hand. "I've read an entire book about you!" 

Hawke and Evangelea laughed, and Varric felt his chest tighten with a wave of affection. The two women he cared for the most in the world were here in front of him, together. Hawke was his closest friend and to see her with the love of his life meant the entire world to him.

"I hear it's a decent book." Hawke joked.

"Eh, it's alright." Evangelea teased back, with a wink to Varric.

Evangelea and Hawke sat down on the edge of the rooftop.

"Of course I have a million questions for you, but I know if you're here it must be something serious. What's going on?" Evangelea asked.

Hawke exhaled, reaching back and tightening her ponytail.

"I think I know someone who can at least start to explain what's going on with the disappearance of all these Grey Wardens. His name is Stroud, he's a Warden and a friend of mine. He believes the Wardens disappearance is tied back to this Corypheus."

Hawke looked down at the floor and sighed, frustration in her face.

"I know we killed him, Inquisitor. I watched him die at our hands."

"Oh trust me, I believe you." Evangelea began. "A centuries old Tevinter magister who may have been directly involved with the creation of the blights comes back with a vengeance and giant holes in the veil are getting ripped every single day? Someone dying but not dying sounds pretty reasonable to me compared to all of this."

Hawke let out a small laugh. She glanced over at Varric, who was leaned up against the wall with his arms crossed. Evangelea made eye contact with Varric and smiled at him, and the expression on his face in response was one Hawke had never seen on him before. It warmed her heart to see him like this. A love like what her and Merrill shared was something she'd always hoped Varric would find. Hawke knew in detail all of Varric's history with Bianca and the whole relationship always made her feel uneasy. She knew her friend deserved better, but she didn't want to hurt him by saying so. Seeing him so in love with someone who loved him back made her feel overjoyed.

"Stroud is in Crestwood. We'll have to meet him there to figure out what comes next." Hawke said.

"Of course, whatever it takes." Evangelea replied. "How long are you in Skyhold for?" 

"Just until we can make it out to Crestwood. Not long."

"Tonight at least, right?" Evangelea said.

"Absolutely."

"Well then, let's get off this roof and go to the tavern for a little while. We can talk about something other than the end of the world for a little bit. There is so much I'd love to talk to you about!" Evangelea exclaimed.

Evangelea looked over at Varric, making a joking stern face.

"I just want to get all the dirt on Varric, obviously. His deepest darkest secrets and all that."

"Oh yes, I've got loads of those to tell." Hawke replied, matching her faux-serious tone.

"Excellent." Varric sighed, laughing.

Several hours went by as Varric, Evangelea, and Hawke ate, drank, and caught up on as much as they could. Evangelea asked countless questions, her eyes growing wider and more excited after every story. Varric stepped away to get another round of drinks.

"I'm so happy for you two, you know." Hawke said, breaking a few seconds long silence. A smile fell across her face. "I know we've just met, Inquisitor, but Varric loves you so much. I've never seen him like this. He's always been his smart, snarky, loving self, but the way he looks at you is nothing like I've ever seen from him. I can see you bring out the best in each other. Thank you so much for taking such good care of him."

Evangelea beamed back at her.

"Thank you so much, Hawke. That means everything to me, you don't even know. I know what you and Varric mean to each other. Everything you two have been through together for ten plus years is just incredible, the bond you share is amazing and I know will last forever. I love him so much. I truly do. He's the best person I've ever known and I'd do anything for him. I wish I could've known him sooner. But those years he had before I met him, the ones he spent with you and your friends? I would never have him trade them for anything. I admire and respect you both so much for everything you've been through, and it's truly an honor to be a part of your lives now. I can't tell you how grateful I am to finally begin my friendship with you."

Hawke was touched by Evangelea's words, and truly felt their sincerity. Hawke's life had been wrought with so much tragedy and pain that being around someone like Evangelea felt like an instant relief from the darkness the world so often plagued her with. She could clearly see how Evangelea brought joy and peace into Varric's life and the lives of everyone around her.

"I feel the same way, Inquisitor." Hawke raised her glass. Here's to us, a friendship I hope continues to grow over many, many, years."

"To us!" Evangelea said happily.

Varric approached the table, a fresh ale in hand. 

"Hello ladies. What'd I miss?"

"Lots of talking about how much we hate you, honestly." Evangelea said completely deadpan, Hawke nodding vigorously in agreement.

Varric laughed loudly.

"Oh no, now that you two have teamed up I'm really in trouble, huh?"

Evangelea put her arm around Hawke's shoulders, pulling her in for a hug.

"You sure are! This is forever now, sorry!"

Varric's heart almost ached from joy.

"Forever sounds great to me." He said.


	10. When You Wore That Dress (Part 1)

"I am not wearing that." Evangelea said, a disgusted look on her face.

"Inquisitor, this outfit is very traditional for organizations such as the Inquisition to wear at formal events and will go over quite well at the Winter Palace, I assure you." Josephine said, surprised by the Inquisitor's defiance. Normally Evangelea was not confrontational about much of anything, but she had very much put her foot down about this particular issue.

"Look, you can all wear this terrible red-yellow-blue thing that looks like a glorified bathrobe, but I refuse. I wear uncomfortable armor 90% of the time and look like a grease ball at the end of every day. I get to go to one fancy party as Inquisitor, and regardless of the fact that we're going for the Inquisition to stop a potential assassination, I am wearing what I choose to wear."

Josephine sighed. "Alright, Inquisitor. You seem very set on this decision, so would you at least do me the favor of showing me what it is you're planning on wearing?"

Evangelea’s face brightened and she nodded, taking Josephine's hand and pulling her quickly.

Once inside her quarters Evangelea walked over to her wardrobe, pulled out a garment and laid it down flat on the bed for Josephine to see.

"Oh my," Josephine began, "That is magnificent. If you had told me this is what you were wanting to wear this entire time there is no reason we should have argued for so long." Evangelea laughed and playfully curtsied in response.

"I'm glad that you approve!" She said.

It was the morning before the Inquisition left for Halamshiral and everyone was getting dressed and ready for the Grand Ball.

Evangelea was in her quarters, putting the finishing touches on her makeup while Josephine helped her style her hair. Josephine had put the Inquisitor’s hair up in a delicate soft bun on the top of her head, with a few strands of curled silver hair streaming down her face.

"You look positively radiant, Inquisitor. You'll fit right in at the Winter Palace." Josephine said, admiring her work.

"Thank you so much Josephine!" Evangelea said. "My hair looks wonderful, you're an artist. I had no idea you were so good at styling hair!"

"Oh, goodness, thank you Inquisitor. I used to always help my sister with her hair growing up. If I didn't it would always be in a ratted mess, I assure you." Josephine laughed.

"Go on now, get out of here and get ready yourself! I've taken too much of your time as it is." Evangelea said, applying some blush to her cheeks.

"Mr. Tethras is going to positively fall over when he sees you, I'm sure of it." Josephine said, causing Evangelea to turn around and flash her a big smile. "I will see you shortly, my lady! Do not be late for the carriages!"

All of the Inquisition's core members were gathered in a room outside of the area where they were to be loaded into their carriages. Everyone was there except the Inquisitor.

From the top of the stairs Evangelea began to descend down to the floor where everyone else was waiting, and immediately all eyes in the room turned to her.

She was wearing a shining light purple and silver colored gown, with rainbow light reflecting off the dress depending on how she turned. The fabric had two layers, the top layer was sheer and reflective with a soft satin layer underneath. The dress had two very thin strips holding it on to her shoulders and the neckline accentuated her chest in a tasteful but also very flattering and sensual way. It fit tighter down to the top of her hips and then flowed out gently, moving like water around her legs. Every hair on her head was perfectly in place and her eyes were covered in a shimmering light purple shadow with soft black and silver liner that made her lilac eyes stand out even brighter than usual. She wore long silver diamond earrings and a silver necklace with a thin chain and a single small circular diamond at the bottom. Her cheeks were blushed pink and a smile never left her face.

Varric turned to look at her and was stopped completely dead in his tracks, his jaw dropping immediately upon seeing her. He thought she looked like a goddess amongst mortals, truly an ethereal being. And she was his, his to touch, to hold, to love. 

_Maker, she is perfect,_ he thought. _How can I possibly deserve someone like her?_

Snapping him out of his love-drunk daze was Sera, who was standing beside him.  
"Holy shit." She said.

The Iron Bull playfully wolf whistled at Evangelea and this caused her to erupt with laughter, breaking any sort of attempt at composure that Varric had left. She still had no idea that her laugh could break him so easily, that he would do anything in the world just to hear her laugh.

Varric approached the Inquisitor at the bottom of the stairs, holding out his hand. "My lady." He said, his heart pounding. She took his hand as she descended the final few stairs and he kissed the top of her hand.

"You are….unbelievably beautiful. Just breathtaking. You are perfection." He said, having to remind himself to breathe.

Evangelea looked Varric over. He was in dark blue formal attire that was just tight enough to accentuate all the rights parts of his body. His hair was slicked back and perfectly in place. She felt her heart race at the sight of him and she couldn't wait for their first moment alone. But when he approached her the first thing she noticed was that he was wearing some kind of cologne he had never worn before, and the scent of it nearly made her go mad with desire for him.

Once they arrived at the Winter Palace, Varric watched in awe as the woman he loved effortlessly mingled with all the nobles. He felt pride rather than jealousy when he saw other men at the ball staring at Evangelea because he knew she only had eyes for him. She floated around the ballroom like a dancer: soft, smooth, and calculated.

Later in the evening, Varric was sitting by himself in a chair, taking a break from socializing and watching the nobles play the Game. Evangelea approached him from behind and he jumped slightly when she whispered in his ear.

"Hey there handsome. How's about you and me get out of here, hmm?"

He knew that sweet, soft voice right away and when he turned his head around to look at her she immediately placed her lips on his. They kissed a second longer than was probably proper for this type of social event, resulting in a few surprised glances from onlookers.

She walked in front of him and he stood up from his chair. "Lovely, how is the evening going for you?"

She stuck her tongue out, making him laugh.

"This stuff is all so silly, the politics and the sweet talking and the blackmail and blah blah blah. I'm glad you're here, though. That’s made everything much better."

“I’m glad to hear that.” Varric responded. “I’d never have gotten into a swanky party like this if it wasn’t for the Inquisition.” He said.

She took both of his hands in hers and gave him a look that made him weak in the knees. “Hey, this job has some benefits, right?” She teased.  
She leaned into him and softly kissed him once again.

"Won't you follow me for a moment?" She said, her eyes fiery.

He gulped and could only nod. Maybe one day he'd find a way to compose himself around her, but today was not that day. _Not in that dress,_ he thought.

She took him to an empty corridor and slid into a corner almost entire consumed by darkness.

Immediately upon entering the darkness she took his face in both of her hands and crashed her lips onto his, their tongues making contact quickly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and he felt a familiar aching down below as she put the pressure of her body on his. Their lips pulled apart and he kissed down her neck, causing her to exhale loudly. She was attempting to be quiet, but she was unsuccessful. He reached one of his hands down to her bottom and squeezed, causing her to attempt to stifle a soft moan.

Between heavy breaths Varric said, "You are so beautiful, Lea. I've been going crazy watching you in that dress all night."

She bit her bottom lip and said in a quiet, low growl,  
"The second we get back to Skyhold the first thing I want you to do is to get me out of this dress. Also, please wear whatever cologne you're wearing more often. I was ready to jump you in front of all our friends."

Varric laughed, "I'd be happy to oblige." He said, then he leaned in to kiss her again. After that kiss she pulled away from his arms and smiled.

"I’m sorry my love, but the Inquisitor's job is never done! I have to go!” She said.  
She was about to walk away but she quickly turned back.

"Oh, and save a dance for me tonight?" She said with a wink.

She glided away and he stood there in the dark, catching his breath. He was now entirely uncomfortable in the tight formal pants he was wearing and he took a moment to calm himself down.

_Maker, what that woman does to me._


	11. When You Wore That Dress (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has parts that are NSFW!

"Duchess Florianne working for Corypheus and being taken away in chains, Empress Celene and Briala reunited, Gaspard sent away to be executed. Just a normal night at the Winter Palace." Cullen said, chuckling.

"All joking aside, what the Inquisitor accomplished this evening has been remarkable. She's probably disappointed she had to do so much more combat than she was originally planning, but she pulled off all of our plans and more without a problem. And she told me a great deal of delightfully scandalous gossip that she overheard during the evening that the Inquisition can use to our advantage." Leliana said.

"Where is the Inquisitor anyway?" Cullen asked. "She disappeared after Florianne's arrest. Have you seen her, Varric?"

"I have not.” Varric replied. “I'll go and look for her."

Varric walked to the end of the ballroom and saw the Inquisitor in the corner of his eye outside on a balcony, leaning on the railing.

"It's been one hell of a night, hasn't it?" Varric said. 

Evangelea laughed, not turning around.  
"No kidding!" She said.

"How are you holding up?" He said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Evangelea sighed, but there was a smile on her face. "I'm fine. Tired. Ready to go home."

 _Home._ He liked the sound of that. Them going home together. Images of a comfortable domestic life with her flashed into his brain. A house, a dog, children...

He snapped out of his daydream and guilt flooded his stomach. 

_Bianca. I still haven’t told her._

Varric cleared his throat and sighed.

When he approached Evangelea she immediately ran into his arms, cuddling up in his chest. He felt butterflies fill his chest as he held her tight.

“Along with those few minutes we had in that empty corridor, this has been the best part of my night." She said softly.

They parted from their embrace and he stepped back and kneeled down slightly in front of her, holding his hand out in front of him.

"How about another dance, hmm? You _are_ my favorite dance partner."

Her face lit up and with a huge smile and a nod she embraced him once again and they danced around the balcony, forgetting all of their troubles for a few perfect moments.

"I still feel so lucky that I get you as my dance partner." She said sweetly, remembering their dances back at Haven fondly.

Varric let out a small happy laugh, thrilled that he could end this dance the way he had wanted to so desperately the times they danced together in Haven.

They ended their dance with a soft, sweet kiss. "I love you so much, Lea." Varric said.

She smiled, joy in her eyes. "I love you more."

 _Impossible,_ he thought.

_________________________________

The Inquisition gathered themselves up and made their way back to Skyhold.

Varric and Evangelea sat across from each other in their carriage, and she took a break from looking out the window to move over to his side. She sat on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other searched frantically for bare skin on her legs to touch.

Their kisses became more hurried and impatient, both of them desperate for as much physical contact with each other as possible. She ran her fingers through his hair as his hands moved all over her body, and when their lips finally parted it was only because of the sudden jolt of the carriage stopping.

She put her lips up to his ear. "My quarters. Now."  
She took his earlobe in her teeth and pulled on it gently, resulting in a loud involuntary sigh from Varric.

"Do you enjoy what you do to me? Driving me crazy?" He said as they stood up.

She was about to exit the carriage and just before she stepped out she turned back to him and said with a sly smile,  
"Are you kidding? It's what I live for!"

Varric laughed and made no attempt to hide staring at her as she walked away from him.

When they at last got to her quarters, his heart was pounding. He couldn't stand letting her stay in that dress one minute longer.

She sat on the edge of her desk and removed both of her shoes, letting out a relieved sigh.

"I can handle demons and fade rifts and corrupt nobles all day, but heels are just the worst." She said, and the laugh that escaped her after she spoke sent Varric completely over the edge.

He rushed over to her and swept her off the desk, scooping her up and dropping her down on her bed, her laughing the entire time. He laid her down and kissed along her shoulders, her neck, and finally up to her lips. Her laughter turned to happy sighs as he kissed her everywhere.

Between breaths he heard her whisper,  
"Get this damn dress off of me so I can take you."

He took off her thin straps one by one, kissing her shoulder after each one, and then reached around to unzip the back of the dress. One he reached the bottom of the zipper she wriggled out of the dress and he threw it across the room, quickly following with the rest of her clothing and his own. She laughed as he tossed their clothing around the room, her laughter only fueling his already endless desire for her.

He could never get used to this, the way she looked wearing nothing but moonlight as their bodies connected in the most intimate way. The way her silver hair flowed on her pillow and the fire in her eyes that he saw when she looked at him. He felt pride when she tightened her grip around the sheets, when he heard her moans and cries from the pleasure that he gave to her. Hearing her tell him she loved him over and over as the pleasure became too much and she reached her peak would never get old. He never knew he could love another person this much, that anyone could make him feel this way.

After spending almost the entire night wrapped up in each other, they laid next to one another, panting.

"That was...amazing." She said, out of breath. "You're amazing."

"Never as amazing as you. You're the most breathtakingly beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and I'm the luckiest man in the world to get to make love to you."

Her laugh was low and sensual. "You’re so sweet. The pleasure is all mine, my love, I assure you." She replied.

She propped herself up on her elbow. He felt his heart swell as he marveled at her beauty. He was still completely awestruck every time he looked at her, the months they spent together had not changed this in the slightest.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" She asked him, her voice sweet as could be.

Varric was taken aback by her question. He had never shared quarters with her in Skyhold before, he always spent his nights in separate quarters. They had never slept in the same bed until the Inquisition’s vacation and they had not since. Bianca had never wanted him to stay beside her after they slept together, never once. It was always more like a business transaction than anything remotely romantic.

"Are-are you sure? I would understand if you didn't want to-"

"Of course I'm sure. I sleep so much better when you're next to me, and I miss you so much when you leave." She said, standing up. "Unless you'd prefer to go back to your own room tonight?"

"No, absolutely not," he began, "I just wasn't sure if you'd be alright with-"  
She silenced him with a soft kiss, sweet as candy on his lips. He melted at her touch.

"Plus, then whenever I feel like ravaging you all I have to do is wake you up." She said with a mischievous grin, the tone of her voice raising his heart rate.

He was deeply flattered by how insatiable her need for him was, how his constant burning desire for her was equally matched. He could make love to her every second of the day, and he knew that she felt the same about him.

However, a burning and ceaseless guilt burned in his gut and he knew he couldn't stand it much longer.


	12. When I Let Her Go

The next morning Varric woke up, the sun just beginning to fill up the Inquisitor's quarters with light. Her bed was far more comfortable than where he had been sleeping, and reaching out at any time in the night and feeling Evangelea there filled his heart with joy. She was snoring slightly and he laughed. There was nothing about her that he did not adore. He got dressed and decided to let her keep sleeping, knowing she was likely still exhausted from the previous night's events.

Varric entered out into the main hallway and passed by Solas. 

"Good morning, Varric."

"Morning, Solas. How are you?"

"I am doing well, thank you. And yourself?" 

"As good as ever."

"Where is the Inquisitor?"

"Still asleep. I figured why not let her sleep in _one_ morning?"

"It's very interesting," Solas said, his eyes pensive.  
"Before you and her met, the Inquisitor seemed to have an enormously difficult time sleeping. When I watched over her after she fell out of the Fade, she woke up extremely frequently and she twitched and shook with dreams. She told me once that she never knew what it was like to sleep through a night."

"Yeah, I remember her mentioning that to me once too." Varric said.

"Have you noticed that she has had any problems sleeping at all?" Solas asked.

Varric thought back to all the times he had seen her sleep, the first being that cold night at the Storm Coast.

"Not that I've seen, now that I think about it. She always sleeps like a rock."

"I doubt that it's a coincidence that she has slept so soundly since you've joined our cause. I am glad you help her in so many ways."

"Well thank you, Solas. Much obliged." Varric replied. The two men parted.

Varric walked down the hallway and stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn't believe his eyes.

  


Bianca was standing in Skyhold's main hall, waiting for him.

  


He approached her, filled with dread.

"Bianca, what are you-"

Before he had a chance to get another word out, Bianca slapped him across the face.

"20 years. _20 fucking years_ Varric and I find out through overhearing chatter around Skyhold that you're sleeping with the Inquisitor?"

Varric knew this moment would come eventually, and he was ready to face it.

"Did you forget the part where you're married, Bianca?"

Bianca's face fell, though still filled with anger.

"You know I never loved him, Varric."

"You never loved me either. You love your work and that's the only thing you've ever loved."

It hurt Varric to see Bianca this upset, but for the first time in his entire life he saw their relationship for what it was, what it had always been.

Varric took a deep breath, exhaled, and paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking.

“Bianca, I was in love with you for a long time and I know a part of me will always care about you. You either will always care for someone at least in some small way or you never did. Hearts can’t ever go backwards from feeling that way about someone, not entirely. They can only go forward. And I did love you. I know that a part of you cared about me in whatever way you could too. But honestly, it broke my heart to love you all those years because you would have never loved me the way I wanted you to. You love your work and your lifestyle more than you will ever love anything, anyone. You got married to someone else, Bianca. I don’t care that it was arranged by your family. You don't love him, but you married him anyway. You chose the wishes of your family over me, and then kept meeting me for years and years afterwards for what? Just to leave us both miserable after every meeting? To never want to stay with me past one night? For you to pull at my heartstrings just to leave me for the life you’ve chosen every single time? At one point I would've given up everything for you. But you were never willing to do the same. You never made an effort to be a part of my life unless it suited you. I mean shit, you’ve never met Hawke or even stepped foot in Kirkwall in the last 10 years. Was I supposed to just chase you for the rest of our lives with nothing in return? 

Evangelea loves me fully and completely for who I am and never made me feel like I was in the way of her life. Never pushed me away, never excluded me from anything. I'm so in love with her Bianca, I love her like I've never loved anything in my life. She's....my person. She's my one. You and I can't do...whatever it is we've always done...anymore. Never again."

Bianca's eyes were wet as she listened to what he said, realizing with every passing word that he was dead serious.

She stood silent for a while, looking down at the floor before she spoke.

"Varric...I. You're right. I'm sorry. You deserve the kind of love you have with her. I care for you very much but I've never loved anyone like that, that’s true. My work is my life and...I understand. It hurts, everything you just said, but....I get it. I can't be what she is to you."

Varric was overwhelmed. With relief, sadness, and a strange sense of finality he never expected to have with this woman he spent so many years of his life chasing.

"I don't think I can see you again after this, Varric. It's best for both of us."

The words hit Varric hard. They hurt and they stung. But the thought of Evangelea filled his mind, the life he wanted to build with her.

"I agree."

They stood silently, looking at each other with pained expressions.

Varric sighed.

"I really do wish you nothing but the best, Bianca."

Bianca fixed her gaze on Varric, one last time.

"Goodbye, Varric."

Bianca walked away, and Varric felt a knot in his stomach. He couldn't believe his courage, to finally say all the things he'd needed to say to her so long ago. He felt sad but also...freed.

All that was left now was to tell Evangelea everything.


	13. When You Cooked

"Hey you." Evangelea said, walking up beside Varric at his writing desk.

Varric smiled when he heard her, despite feeling like he had lead in his shoes.

Evangelea wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.  
"Writing something amazing about me, right?" She said jokingly. 

Varric laughed.  
"Of course. What else is there to write about?"

"You busy? I can come back later." Evangelea said. Varric turned his chair around and stretched out.

"No, stay. I always have time for you."

Evangelea smiled her big happy smile at Varric and a wave of love and affection went through him. She was the silly, goofy sweetness that the Inquisition needed so desperately and whenever he felt down or frustrated she always seemed to know and be there. 

"Are you hungry?" Evangelea said, her eyes full of excitement. "I'm starving."

Varric realized he had gotten so caught up in everything today that he hadn't eaten all day and he felt his stomach grumble.

"You know, yeah I am. Did you have something in mind?" Varric said. 

"Yes. Come on." She said, motioning him to follow her.  
She led Varric downstairs to the Inquisition’s kitchens, where two young cook's assistants were working cleaning pots and pans. They saw the Inquisitor walk in and quickly stiffened up.

"Inquisitor-hello! We-I-we can-" One of the girls began.  
"Sheila, yes? And Leanne?" The Inquisitor said, smiling softly at them.

"Why-yes, Inquisitor." The girl replied, a little starstruck and clearly shocked that the Inquisitor knew their names.

"Thank you for all your hard work, ladies. But I'd like this room for the night if that's alright, you girls can be done. I'll take care of the rest of the dishes later when I’m done in here."

The girls had stunned looks on their faces, unsure how to respond. "We-um-we-" Sheila began.  
The Inquisitor laughed.  
"Don't worry, I'm serious. I promise your boss won't be angry with you, I've already spoken to her. Get out of here and spend the rest of your evening doing something fun, alright? Inquisitor's orders."

The two girls’ shy and nervous faces immediately shifted into expressions of relief and joy.

They both bowed slightly and thanked the Inquisitor before exiting the room, giggling together excitedly as they left.

Varric felt a sense of pride and admiration watching Evangelea's endless kindness to the lesser acknowledged members of the Inquisition. She treated everyone the same, regardless of rank or stature, and he couldn't help but deeply admire her for it. He had seen so much abuse of power and mistreatment of lower ranking citizens in his life that watching her interactions with others gave him hope that the world could truly be a better place.

"Sit down, my love. How does fresh bread and ram stew sound?" Evangelea said, rummaging through a cabinet.

Varric's mouth watered at the thought. He had a weakness for fresh bread and he loved ram. He wondered if she knew that.

"That sounds great," Varric said. "Is someone...bringing it into here, or?

"No silly!" Evangelea said, placing some bowls and a handful of ingredients onto the table. "I'm going to cook it for us!"

"No shit, you can cook? Where'd you learn to do that?" Varric replied.

"I used to cook a lot when I lived at home before I went into the Circle, so I just sort of taught myself. Denry helped teach me too! You remember how good the food was during that trip. The food that they prepared for us in the Circle was always awful, so I would sneak into the kitchens after dinner was over and cook for myself. They never did find out where all their missing ingredients went!" She said, laughing.

"Well, can I help you with anything at least?" Varric asked.

"Nope!" Evangelea said happily. "Just keep me company while I cook. I asked Hawke the last time I saw her if she knew anything about what you liked to eat and she may have tipped me off about some of your favorites."

Varric's chest felt a familiar warmth thinking of Evangelea and Hawke together, what a wonderful team they made.

Varric watched as Evangelea mixed together a variety of ingredients in a bowl, eventually forming a sticky ball of dough. She floured up her hands and laid the dough out on the floured table.

With a flick of her finger the dough began to knead itself on the counter.  
Varric found this extremely amusing and Evangelea could tell when he looked at her.

"What? I hate this part. Being a mage comes with some benefits other than setting people on fire." She said with a laugh.

She took out a big slab of ram meat that had been preserved in an ice chest down on the floor of the kitchen and laid it down on the other side of the table. She rubbed various spices all over it, placed it on a metal tray and put it in the oven.

"It’s going to smell amazing in here in about 5 minutes, trust me." She said.

Varric smiled as he watched her move about the kitchen, clearly enjoying what she was doing. He was deeply moved that she was doing this all for him, that she set time aside in her night to have dinner with him. _Maker knows she always has a million things she needs to do all the time,_ he thought.

"Lea, sweetheart, I uh-…I need to talk to you." Varric said, his tone more serious than it had been all night. His change of tone caught her attention immediately and she turned around from putting the bread in a second oven to look at him.

"Of course, Varric. Anything."

"It’s about-“

Varric took a long pause, struggling to start speaking again.

“Bianca Davri, right?” Evangelea said. 

Varric’s stomach dropped.

“You know about her?

“Not a lot of people get in and out of Skyhold without me learning about them. Especially not ‘known associates’ of my associates.”

Evangelea's face was calm, her hands full of red potatoes that she was about to drop into a pot of boiling water.

“You’re allowed to have had other girlfriends before me Varric. You lived a life before I came along. My feelings aren’t hurt.”

"You’re not upset I didn’t tell you earlier?" Varric said, his head buzzing.

"No. I knew you’d tell me when you were ready." She replied, sighing deeply. “Please just tell me one thing though.”

Varric’s eyes darted between hers, nerves on fire waiting for her next words.

“You and I, everything we’ve been, everything we are. You and Bianca weren’t…committed, were you? You weren’t cheating on her with me?”

“Oh no. Our relationship was not like that.” Varric began. "I called her my girlfriend from time to time because that was easier to explain than the…terribly complicated thing it actually was. We never put a label on it, she never wanted that. I know she had lovers outside of me over the years.”

"That’s good to hear. I figured as much, I just needed to know for sure. “ Evangelea said quietly.

“You deserve to hear this all from me. Please, let me explain.”

Varric told her everything, the entire history of his relationship with Bianca and all the pain it caused him. Evangelea nodded throughout, her expression difficult to read. The air around them stayed still for several seconds while Varric waited for Evangelea to respond, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Thank you for sharing that all with me." Evangelea began, her voice soft. "It breaks my heart to hear the pain you've experienced. You deserved so much better for so long and you just never knew it. I know it must feel so strange to tell these things to me but it’s okay to hurt over it. Things that are that much of a constant in your life aren’t easy to move on from. But, that relationship was nowhere near healthy, for either of you. Learning to let each other go is something you should be so proud of. I know you love me and I know that life moves forward and eventually we find ourselves exactly where we need to be. Bianca will find her way to where she needs to be. I’m just so grateful that my way led to you.”

Varric was silent for a moment, overwhelmed by the weight of her words. He found himself, surprisingly, not worried by what she had to say, but rather he felt relieved. Everything she had said to him was everything he had known all along but never had the courage to let himself accept. Evangelea was perfectly gracious in response to everything. Evangelea had confirmed everything he had felt for the last twenty years of his life.

"That was...exactly what I needed to hear. I know you're right, you're right about every single thing you said. I-shit-I guess I just needed to hear someone else say it."

"I love you more than anything in the world, Varric. You know I wouldn't tell you any of this if I didn't want what was best for you."

"I love you too." Varric said, a soft smile on his face.

"Hang on, I want to hug you but my hands are gross from touching all this raw food." Evangelea said, quickly washing her hands off in the sink next to the stove.

She dried off her hands and quickly walked up to Varric, wrapping him in a big, tight hug. He hugged her back and she kissed him gently on the cheek as they parted.

Evangelea walked back to the kitchen and pulled the ram meat out of the oven, the smell quickly filling up the whole kitchen.

"It does smell amazing in here." Varric said, feeling his stomach growl again. 

"Told you!" Evangelea said, smiling. "The bread should be ready in a second too."  
She cut up the ram meat into small chunks and placed it in a pot where potatoes, various spices, and a sauce were simmering. She put her face up to the pot and took a deep breath in, making a happy noise as she put the lid on the pot.

"This is going to be so good, trust me." She said.

"I have all the faith in the world in you, your Inquisitorialness." Varric said.

Evangelea pulled the bread out of the oven and set it down on a long plate she had set out on the table.

"Okay, in like 2 minutes you can eat that, just don't do it right now or you will burn the shit out of your fingers. Trust me, I’ve done it plenty of times because I was impatient." She said, Varric laughing in response.

"Phew, okay." Evangelea wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead. "I can sit down for a minute while the stew cooks."  
She sat down on the stool next to Varric.

"Seriously though. All joking aside, you know you can always talk to me about anything right? Anywhere, anytime. I'm always here for you. You don’t have to feel like you need to keep anything from me. Loving you means loving all of you, all of your past included."

"Thank you, sweetheart." Varric said, smiling.  
Evangelea smiled back at him and let out a happy sigh.

"Okay, I'm sick of staring at this bread. Let's go for it." She said.

She ripped off two big chunks of the warm bread, steam rising out of the middle as she ripped off the pieces. She handed Varric a piece and put her piece into her mouth right away.

"Mmmm, sooooo good." She said, her mouth full. “I’ll have to save Bull a piece of this to give him later or he’ll never forgive me.”

"Damn, this is fantastic!" Varric said after taking his first bite.

"Thank you! So glad to hear you say that." She said, visibly pleased, taking another big bite.

They sat in silence for a little while, happily chewing away at their bread and just enjoying each other's company.

"Stew should be about ready now!" She said, getting up from her seat. She opened the lid to the pot and the smell flooded the room, warm and spiced and delicious. Varric found that the smell reminded him of happy memories in his past.

Evangelea poured the stew into two big bowls, stuck two big spoons in the bowls, and brought them to where they were sitting.

"Alright, dig in! It's _really_ delicious if you dip the bread into the stew, too."

Varric took his first bite of the stew and knew immediately that it was the best bite of food he had ever had in his life.

"Holy shit, this is absolutely amazing. I wish I'd known you could cook this well all this time or I wouldn't let anyone else make our food!" He said with a laugh.

Evangelea laughed back.  
"Ha, thank you! I'm so happy you like it. Makes me happy when you're happy. It is delicious, I'm really pleased with how it turned out."

"We're all so grateful for you you know, Lea. For everything. Thank you. For this amazing meal, for just…. everything."

"Anything for you. I love you, Varric.”

"I love you too." Varric said, smiling.

"To us." She said, lifting her glass.  
"To us." Varric said as they clinked their glasses together.

"Now let's eat before Bull smells this food and finds us, I'm positive he has to be at least halfway here by now." Evangelea said.

They both laughed and took another delicious bite of their meal.


	14. When I Didn't Hold Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Font credit for Evangelea's handwriting](https://www.dafont.com/jellyka-saint-andrew-s-queen.font)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is NSFW!

Varric’s heart sunk a little after reading the message the Skyhold messenger brought to him at his work desk. He was still so nervous, despite how calm Evangelea took the news about Bianca. He knew she wasn't angry, but he couldn’t help but feel like at any moment she might realize she could do so much better than him. That she’d eventually put him second like Bianca always had. The thought repulsed him as quickly as he had it. Evangelea had done nothing to make him have any of these worries. But what could she need from him so urgently?

Varric organized the papers on his desk and walked to her quarters.

"Lea? I'm here." He said as ascended the stairs to her room.

"Sit on the edge of the bed, I'll be right there!" She called out from inside her closet.

Varric did as she asked, sitting nervously on the edge of her bed.  
Every possible bad scenario ran through his mind as he sat, every way she could choose to tell him she was leaving him forever. His stomach turned just thinking about it.

Evangelea stepped out, walked in front of Varric and immediately forcefully pushed him down onto her bed. She climbed on top of him and crashed her lips onto his.

He barely had time to process what was happening because immediately when she kissed him his head started to swim. She was intoxicating and he never got fully used to her touch. He realized quickly that she was wearing nothing but a fluffy blue towel, and she wasted no time tugging at his clothes.

She quickly got his shirt removed and he threw the towel off of her. She lowered herself and her bare chest pressed up against his.

"I want you, I need you right now." She said, her breath heavy.

"I always need you. Every second of every day." He said back to her, assisting her in removing the last pieces of his clothing.

Soon they both had no clothes in their way and their bodies merged as they had many times before, but this time felt entirely new. He felt a renewed passion from her, a longing, an aching, a need he hadn't felt before. It was as if she could tell before that he was holding back his truest self and now at last he could make love to her without any guilt or worry standing in his way.

He moved on top of her and she wrapped her legs around him, her moans growing in volume. "Oh Varric..." She sighed.  
His heart fluttered in his chest. For the first time they were able to be completely truly intimate with no lies to stand in their way.

They flipped around to where he was on his back, and she quickly buried her face in his shoulder, kissing from there up to his neck, his jawline, and back to his lips again. He watched her hips move up and down as she kissed him, the sensations almost becoming too much to handle. He felt like every nerve was electrified and he was drowning in his love for her.

Varric sighed. "I love you so much, so much."

"I love you more." She whispered breathily in his ear. "Please don't stop, please."

He sat upright and she repositioned herself with her legs folded out on each side, their bodies never parting.

She rocked herself on him and wrapped her arms around his neck, her sighs and moans soft and frequent.

He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply as they both let out more cries of pleasure, both reaching their peak within a few seconds of each other.

They both sat there quietly for a moment, their breathing still heavy and their bodies still connected.

"I could always tell there was something that you were holding back when you made love to me. Something so small I couldn't quite wrap my finger around it. Now that I know what that was I can tell you for a fact that today you did not hold anything back." Evangelea said, a pleased smile on her face.

Varric was still dizzy from emotion, still completely surprised and relieved that this was what she called him up to her quarters for.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I truly am. I promise you, I will never hold back anything from you again." She kissed his forehead softly and he closed his eyes.

"I know. I love you so much, Varric. I ache for you every moment of the day."

"I can say the same, my love. I am yours, body and soul.”

She kissed him again, a slow and deep kiss. Their tongues danced softly and her breathing quickened.

"Ready again when you are." He said with a laugh, placing his hands firmly on her waist. Their desire for each other was powerful and unquenchable, she felt her head spin as he touched her. She laughed, his ultimate weakness, and he felt his heart pound in his chest.

She sighed happily.  
"I can never get enough of you..." She said, placing her lips onto his once again.


	15. When Cole Told You

Cole and Evangelea sat next to each other on the edge of one of Skyhold's ramparts, their feet dangling over the side of the wall. The moon seemed brighter than usual and the sky was filled with stars.

"How does it feel being more human now?" She asked him. 

Cole was quiet for a moment.

"Good. I want to do right by the real Cole. I feel like I can do that better now." He said.

"I think the real Cole would be very proud of you." Evangelea said, a soft smile on her face. 

"How do you know?" Cole replied, looking up at her.

Cole's eyes were always full of questions and full of answers, all at the same time. There was a curiosity and wisdom in him, a naivety and a maturity that Evangelea admired. He was a perplexing individual, but one she cared for deeply. Watching him grow as a human and learn to forgive meant a great deal to her.

"I just do." She replied. "You're incredible Cole, the Inquisition could never be where it is without you."

"Sincere. Your words are kind but also real. You mean what you say." He said.

"Of course I do." Evangelea replied. "I knew the moment I met you that you were unique and I am grateful that I can call you my friend. You know I'm here for you, anything you need."

Cole smiled at her, a rare sight. She saw something new in his soft blue eyes: hope. The sadness that so often filled him was replaced with something new, something happier.

"Thank you." He said.

They sat in silence for a while, staring at the stars together. Silence between them was never uncomfortable.

"His words to you are true, you know." Cole said softly, not looking up from his lap.

"What?" Evangelea replied, intrigued by his words.

"Varric. Heart heavy, relieved, giddy, guilty. Drowning in love for the girl with lilac eyes. Free, worried, sad, happy. He regrets what he felt for so long, but loves you. He loves you so much. He always has."

Evangelea's heart filled up with joy and relief. She knew in her heart what Cole was saying was the truth.

"May I ask you something, Cole?" She said. 

"Yes."

"Did you..." 

"Know?"

She nodded.

Cole exhaled. "Yes."

Evangelea was about to speak, but Cole spoke first.

"It was not for me to tell you. I would not have helped, only hurt."

" I understand. You're right. I needed to hear it from him."

"His love for you is true. His mind is always almost entirely consumed with thoughts of you. Joy, fear, adoration, regret. He was always so happy and so scared at the same time."

Cole paused and his voice grew very soft.

"Ever since you spoke to him about it he brightened. Before, his mind was frenzied, filled with fear. Overwhelmed. Now he is bright, happy, free. You did that. You loved him and that made him better."

Evangelea fought back tears, happiness overcoming her.

"Thank you. Thank you so much for everything you've said Cole." 

"I've only told you the truth."

"I know you have, and that's what I'm the most grateful for."

Evangelea put her arm around Cole's shoulder and hugged him tightly. He put his head down on her shoulder and they sat together for a long time, silently watching the stars.


	16. When Cassandra Watched the Clouds

Evangelea was lying in a patch of grass near the area where Cassandra usually fought with her practice dummies. The day was unusually warm for Skyhold, the breeze soft on her skin.

Cassandra walked up to the area of the fortress she was so familiar with, sword in hand, and was surprised to see the Inquisitor on the ground.

Evangelea felt Cassandra's presence and opened her eyes. "Hi Cassandra."

"Good afternoon, Inquisitor. What are you doing?"

"Just enjoying the day." Evangelea replied. "We get a few days a year where it's not cold here and I'm going to take it in as much as I can. You know how I’m always freezing so this is really nice. I don't have any meetings I need to be at right this minute and we aren't heading to the Hinterlands until tomorrow."

Cassandra smiled, slightly jealous of the Inquisitor's ability to find peace amongst the chaos of their lives. She could go go go for what seemed like forever, but then somehow find a way to stop and find happy moments.

"Would you like to join me? Or are you going to practice right now? I can get out of your way." 

Cassandra thought about it for a moment and figured a slight delay in her practice couldn't hurt. 

"Alright, I suppose I can join you for a moment." Cassandra said.

Cassandra laid down on the ground beside her. Big fluffy clouds took up much of the sky. It had rained a few nights ago and the air felt clean and refreshed because of that.

"So what do you...do down here?" Cassandra said, her body language stiff, much unlike Evangelea who had one leg propped up on the other and her hands behind her head.

“I've been closing my eyes a little, listening to the wind and relaxing, but I've also just been enjoying how beautiful the sky looks today. See any shapes in the clouds?"

"What?" Cassandra said quickly. _Finding shapes in the clouds?_ She thought. _What an odd thing to do._

"Shapes? Like what?"

"Like that one." Evangelea said, pointing to the sky. "That one looks like a nug with a cape on." 

Cassandra let out an amused grunt. She squinted at the cloud for a moment.

"Huh." She said. She let out a small laugh. "I suppose it does. What a silly thing.” 

Cassandra was quiet for a moment as she continued to stare at the clouds. 

“This is...not something I've ever done before."

Evangelea sat up in surprise.

"Really? You never looked for shapes in the clouds when you were young?"

"I suppose not."

A big bright smile fell on Evangelea’s face.  
"Well, you have now!"

Cassandra smiled back at her. Evangelea's silliness so sharply contrasted Cassandra's sternness, but Evangelea knew of the sweet romantic heart that beat underneath Cassandra's hard exterior.

"Do you see any shapes?" Evangelea said.

Cassandra looked for a few moments until one caught her eye and her response was filled with more excitement than Evangelea was expecting, much to her delight.

"Oh, that one! It looks like that silly purple vase that Josephine is so fond of, the one on her top shelf that always has daisies in it."

"Oh my gosh you're absolutely right!" Evangelea said with a giggle. "I love how much she loves that vase even though it is the ugliest thing I've ever seen."

Cassandra laughed harder than Evangelea had heard in months.

"It makes me happy to see you like this, Cassandra. Relaxed, maybe even enjoying yourself a little?" Evangelea said with a smile.

"I always enjoy my time with you, Inquisitor. You always get me to look at things another way."

They sat quietly for a few moments, sunlight peeking through the tree they were under, warm on their faces.

"So, Chapter 8 of Swords and Shields..." Evangelea began.

Cassandra quickly snapped out of the dreamy state her and Evangelea had been in for the last few minutes.

"Oh my, can you believe the Knight Captain?! What was she thinking!" Cassandra exclaimed.

"Completely outrageous," Evangelea replied with a laugh. "She just never learns!"

Cassandra laughed along with her, very glad she didn’t go straight to practice today.


	17. From the Desk of Varric Tethras-The Dragon

_From the Desk of Varric Tethras:_

We almost lost her today. Sure, we all brush with death on a daily basis around here, but we actually weren't sure if she'd survive this time. Writing's the only thing I know how to do to deal with how exhausting today has been.

Today was the day that Lea decided we were going to take down that high dragon in the Hinterlands.

This was not her first time facing a dragon. Or her second, third, or fourth for that matter. There were ten well known high dragons in Thedas that the Inquisition had been alerted to and this was the last one on our list. Why she had chosen to save that one for last I'll ask her eventually.

Funny story, actually. The first dragon she killed was the one terrorizing Crestwood, the one eating all the people passing through and killing all the livestock. It was made very clear that killing the dragon would save countless lives. But when she came back from killing it, she had tears in her eyes. I remember she sat next to me and put her face in her hands.

"I killed her and her babies, Varric. She was a mother." She said to me. 

Her face was filled with guilt because despite having killed so many people throughout her time as Inquisitor, she had never killed anyone who had not attacked her first or was not an immediate threat. She felt like killing an animal in its own home was wrong in some way, despite it needing to be done. She understood why, and she had killing down to an art form at this point, but took no pleasure in it. Seeing the pain on her face, still sprayed with blood and rain, just made my heart ache right along with her. Animals have always been special to her. I've seen the joy on her face anytime she saw a stray animal around Skyhold, a cat or even a chicken passing by. Every time we saw a fennec in the Hinterlands I had to stop her from trying to pet it.

I'm getting off track here. Today.

Lea's dragon-killing squad always consisted of herself, me, Dorian, and The Iron Bull. We were pretty masterful at it, I have to admit. Lea in particular. The stories from the experiences with the dragons alone could fill up a volume of books. I’m going to write a book about her one day, I swear.

But today was different.

We were moments away from putting this dragon down for good and Bull struck the final blow, knocking the dragon down to the ground. Unwilling to go down without a final act of rebellion, the dragon swung its tail hard and then collapsed to the floor and took its final breath. Lea was moving from her position to another one and wasn't expecting this movement considering the dragon's death was clearly seconds away and the dragon's tail hit her so hard that it sent her flying full force into the wall of rock on the other side of the cliff we were on. She hit the wall, her left side taking the brunt of the damage, and fell to the ground unconscious. We had no time to celebrate because it was immediately apparent that something had gone very, very wrong.

Luckily, an Inquisition camp was a two minute run from the location of the fight and Bull put Lea over his shoulder and got her there very quickly. The camp healer quickly determined that she was unconscious, but alive. She was bleeding pretty severely from her scalp and her left arm was covered in bruises. The only reason she didn't break any bones was because the barrier she had cast on herself was still operating at about 5% when she hit the wall and was most likely the reason she didn't die on impact, considering the speed she was going when she hit it.

The Hinterlands is about a two hour carriage ride away from Skyhold and when we arrived I felt the air change, I swear. The entire fortress was silent, save for a few nervous whispers. They immediately rushed her to Skyhold's healing quarters (the one that Evangelea insisted was built and supplied with anything it needed instead of the wounded being treated outside in the cold) and Skyhold's healer, supposedly the best healer in Thedas, quickly began taking care of her. She was eventually moved to her quarters after she was bandaged up, but she still hadn't woken up yet. Her quarters were filled with everyone in her inner circle, myself included.

I stayed seated on the edge of the bed the entire time, wracked with guilt and pain. We had already thought we lost her once at Haven and my feelings today were very similar to the feelings I had that day, the day I finally confessed my feelings for her. My hands were wrapped around one of hers and I felt a tear fall down my cheek.

Seeing everyone gathered in her room made it very apparent that this Inquisition could never hold together without her. Everyone in the room was a mess, it was clear on all their faces even though everyone was handling the situation differently.

Cassandra was standing in the corner, biting her nails and pacing a little. Leliana and Josephine stood near the back corner of the room, talking quietly. Cullen stood leaning up against the entry to her balcony, not speaking but his face deeply concerned. Sera was pacing back and forth and it was the longest time I had ever seen her go without speaking. She was a ball of nervous energy, walking quickly back and forth, back and forth. The only time she spoke was when she got the healer for the 17th time to see why Evangelea hadn't woken up yet. Dorian and the Iron Bull stood in the corner near her bed, both of their arms crossed and their faces stern. They still hadn’t wiped off all the blood from their clothes because they did nothing but wait on word about her the moment they got back to Skyhold. Vivienne sat with her arms crossed in the chair behind Lea's desk, keeping her gaze fixed on her at all times. Cole sat on the small couch near her bed, and for a long time he didn't say anything which was very…not Cole-like of him.

"There's so much love in here." Cole said finally. "You all love her."

I couldn't help but smile a little when he said that. He was still learning how to be a real person but his bluntness was something that never disappeared even in the slightest.

"I think I love her too." He said to me with a very serious and concerned look on his face. He looked like he had just had an epiphany. "I don't think I've ever loved anyone before." 

He took a second to think about what he just said and then kept speaking.

"Warm, soft, safe, sweet. She is the tie that binds us all, the smile that keeps us going, the laugh that eases our pain. She loves us and we love her back."

"We sure do, kid." I said back to him. "We sure do."

He was right as usual, he had put into words what we were all thinking. We all love her and everyone was heartbroken not knowing whether she was going to wake up or not. I couldn’t let myself think about her dying, it was more than I could handle. I had to just believe that she’d make it through this, that she’d wake up and smile at me and we’d be back to our life together very soon. I needed to think those things so I didn’t break down and cry too. I think the whole room was a little in denial and that’s why no one was speaking much, too afraid they’d break down. They had stopped the bleeding coming from Lea’s head and bandaged up her arm but she'd been unconscious for several hours now and we were all started to get very, very concerned.

"Awake." I heard Cole say and immediately after that I saw Lea shift slightly in her bed, making a small grunting sound. I almost jumped off the edge of the bed from joy and I immediately took her face in his hands.

"Lea, baby, we're here. Are you alright?" I said, my voice full of relief. Seeing the love of my life almost die in front of me twice was more than anyone should have to bear. We had been through enough together.

Everyone gathered around her bed quickly and I could've sworn for just a moment I even saw Sera and Vivienne smiling at one another, a truly marvelous sight considering they avoided each other like the plague regularly.

Lea's eyes opened and we saw those beautiful purple eyes of hers look around the room, a small smile appearing on her tired face.

"She's so happy to see us all, even though everything hurts." Cole said, now standing beside me. 

"What happened?" Lea said to me, her voice small and a little shaky.

"You got knocked out by the dragon at the end of the fight. You're back in Skyhold and the healers fixed you up, we're all here now." I said back to her.

Lea attempted to move and let out a quick, pained breath.

"Don't move, darling. You'll only feel worse." Vivienne said, watching her closely from the end of her bed.

"I knew she'd never die on us." Sera said. "This whole Inquisition thing'd go to piss without her anyway."

"Charming choice of words as always, Sera." Dorian replied, but his words were playful rather than aggressive. Those two like each other deep down but bicker constantly, something that's always fun to watch. “But yes, I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see you awake.”

Lea took my hand in hers and smiled at me, and I felt myself melting in front of her. It never failed to amaze me how just one look at her made me completely fall apart every single time. We’ve been together now for damn near a year, but someone like Lea is definitely hard to get used to. I still trip over my words whenever I speak to her and I can barely catch my breath when she's around. Our love story has been better than anything I could attempt to put in a book. Her life is almost like one big love story because everyone she meets falls in love with her a little bit for one reason or another.

I remember one night all of us were in the tavern drinking and having a few laughs and somehow she managed to get the Iron Bull to dance with her. The dance she did was so ridiculous and I've never seen Bull laugh harder than I did that night.  
At some point we all fell in love with her and to see her almost taken away from us again was more than we could bear, so the relief that flooded the room when she flashed that big smile of hers at us, head still covered in bloody bandages and bruises on her cheeks, was immediate and overwhelming.

"Bull?" She said.

Bull quickly rushed up to the edge of her bed, trying to hide how emotional he (clearly) was. "Boss?"

"Did we win the fight?"

Bull's whole face lit up and he smiled at her. "We sure did, boss."

She smiled.  
"Good. Thank you all for coming to check on me, it means the world to me. I love you guys."

"We love you too." Cole said, a small smile on his face.

Today is over now, and she's okay. She’s sleeping now and I’m in the room with her, checking on her every few minutes. The healers said she'd need to stay in bed for a couple of days and that she should be back to normal in a few weeks.

And maybe no more dragons for a while.


	18. When We Took Care of You

Evangelea sat up in her bed and winced, forgetting again to not put weight on her left arm. It had been a few days since her encounter with the Hinterlands dragon and her body ached all over.

She looked over and saw that her bedside was empty, something surprising considering Varric had rarely left her side since she was hurt.  
She lifted up her shirt slightly and looked down at her left side which was bruised all over. She was wearing a soft white shirt and flowing lilac pants that were loose and easy to maneuver in. She hadn't left her bed for any reason other than to use the restroom in days and thought she could use a walk.

She stood up slowly and winced again at the pain she felt on her left leg. The right side of her body felt fine as the brunt of the impact was on the left side of her body. Her head had a constant dull ache from where it had smacked into the rocky wall but luckily the pain was the worst thing to come from that impact.

She exhaled deeply and attempted to take a step forward, putting most of the weight on her right leg. The pain was almost unbearable and she felt tears well up in her eyes. She sat back down on her bed, defeated. The sunlight shining into the room felt warm and comforting on her skin and she wanted nothing more than to get out of her quarters.

"Lea?" She heard from behind her.

She turned and saw Varric standing at the edge of the staircase leading up to her room. 

"I leave for five minutes and you wake up.” He joked.

“How dare you leave this room, I should have you thrown out of the Inquisition.” She teased back.

Varric walked up to her and looked at the bruises on her face. He noticed they were starting to lighten. He put his hand gently on the side of her face. She put her hand on top of his.

"You’re looking much better. How are you feeling?" Varric asked.

She shifted how she was sitting slightly and winced.

"It hurts, honestly. I'm still in a lot of pain. I'll be okay though. How are you darling?" She said, a soft smile still on her face.

"I'm fine. Just worried about you." Varric replied. 

He saw her restless expression and smiled. 

"Up to get out of this room for a little while?"

Her eyes lit up, but almost immediately she looked concerned.

"More than anything. But how? I definitely can't walk yet, I can't put any weight on my left leg." She said.

"I'll be right back." Varric said, and walked out of the room.

A few minutes later Evangelea heard Varric coming up the stairs, making a sound like he was carrying something heavy.

She heard a loud thunk as what he was carrying landed on the top of the staircase. It was a wooden chair with a purple cushion on the seat and four wheels on the bottom. There were beautifully intricate carvings along the sides of the chair of trees, flowers, and animals. A huge smile fell on her face when she saw it.

"The healer had this special ordered for you, it just arrived this morning. We all imagined you had to be getting a little stir-crazy cooped up in your room for so many days so we mentioned to her that this might be a good idea." Varric said as he walked up to her.

"We?" Evangelea asked.

"All of us! Me, Blackwall, Bull, Cole, Sera, everyone. Vivienne picked out the cushion, said it would look nice with your eyes or something. Solas designed the carvings, Bull picked out the wheels, and we all made sure it was made of the highest quality materials that would be safest for you. Everyone had a hand in its design in some way."

Evangelea's eyes filled up with tears.  
"You all are just the sweetest most amazing people. Thank you."

Evangelea put her arms out and Varric walked closer to her. She hugged him with her right arm and he hugged her back, being careful to only hold on to her right side. She held him there for a moment and squeezed a little when she let go.

Varric found himself fighting back the urge to cry a bit himself. He was so relieved to just be here speaking to her, when only days earlier he thought he might've lost her forever.

"I couldn't imagine losing you, Lea. None of us could."

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. If crashing into a rock wall from the force of getting tail whipped by a dragon didn't kill me, I'm pretty sure I'm invincible. Defying death is apparently my thing, I guess." She teased.

Varric laughed and then pulled the wheelchair to the edge of her bed. 

"How are we going to get this downstairs?" She asked.

"I thought of that." Varric said, smiling.   
He looked over to the stairs where Bull was walking up.

"Good morning!" Evangelea said, happy to see him.

"Good morning Boss. Varric get you all set up?" Bull replied. 

"This chair is so beautiful! I can't believe you all did this for me."

"Of course we did! Only the best for you, boss." Bull said with a smile. "I'm going to carry you down the stairs while Varric brings the chair down, alright? So you just need to let me know how best to hold on to you without it hurting too badly."

Evangelea thought for a moment and glanced at her left side, then at Bull.

"If you just pick me up so my left side is pushed into your chest and my right side is facing out, that should be fine. That way you can hold tight onto my right side and that won't hurt, and the left side will be cushioned by your clothes. I can cast a barrier on my left side too, that should help."

Bull nodded. "Alright, let's try that."

Evangelea cast the barrier around herself and Bull very gently picked her up, placing all the pressure on her right side. 

"Is this alright?" Bull asked.

"Should be fine." She replied, smiling.

Bull carried her very slowly down the stairs until they reached the bottom, Varric following closely behind.

Bull then set her down gently into her chair and she made a small pained noise upon being set down, but smiled at Bull and Varric immediately to reassure them that she was alright. Her barrier's soft blue light faded away slowly until it finally disappeared.

She adjusted how she was sitting slightly and put her feet in the two slots where they were designed to go. She sighed happily, running her fingers along the side where the carvings were.

"It's so comfy, I love it." She said to Varric and Bull, her expression content. She looked comfortable, and Varric and Bull were relieved to see it.

"I’m going to take you all around Skyhold. I know the fresh air will do wonders for you." Varric said. He took her hand and kissed it.

"Thanks, Bull." Varric said.

“Yes, thank you so much Bull!”

“You got it You two have fun.” Bull replied, and walked away.

"Ready for a walk without the walking, Lovely?" Varric said with a smile, grabbing onto the wheelchair's handles.

"So ready." She replied, slowly stretching her arms out above her. "I can't stand being cooped up in this building anymore. Let's go!"


	19. When You Met Nina

Varric and Evangelea were out going around Skyhold, him pushing her in her wheelchair. It was a beautiful day, the sun peaked out through big fluffy clouds and a warm breeze moved gently through the air.

Across the courtyard, Evangelea noticed a mother and daughter standing outside the entrance to the tavern.

"Good morning Inquisitor, Mr. Tethras." The mother said as Evangelea and Varric passed by. Varric stopped pushing the wheelchair and nodded and smiled at the woman in response.

"Good morning!" Evangelea replied. "I don't believe we've met before. Your name is?"

"Lila, my lady. My husband Joshua and I are Skyhold's bakers."

"You're the ones who make all those amazing pastries that are always in the hall? Oh my goodness, they're all just incredible."

Lila smiled. "Why thank you, Inquisitor. Are you doing alright? I'm so sorry for what happened with the dragon. We were all so grateful you were alright."

"I'm doing much better. Thank you so much for asking! Every day I feel better and better."

"I'm very glad to hear that." Lila replied.

Evangelea looked down at Lila's daughter and smiled brightly at her.

"Hello little darling. How are you today?" She said.

The little girl clung tightly to her mother's leg, holding part of Lila's dress in one of her hands. She looked at Evangelea with big, bright, brown eyes that sparkled with curiosity. She didn't reply.

Lila put her hand on her daughter's shoulder and turned her gently towards Evangelea.

"Go on Nina, say hello to the Inquisitor. She has done so much for us and we're very grateful for her!"

"Nina, what a beautiful name!" Evangelea responded.

A small smile formed on Nina's face, and she gained the confidence to speak.

"I heard you're magic." Nina said softly and shyly.

Nina's mother laughed. "You mean she's a _mage_ , darling. That means she can perform magic." 

Evangelea's heart was warmed by the little girl.

"If anyone is magic, I think it's you, my dear. And I can prove it." Evangelea said. "Nina, what's your favorite color?"

"Purple!" Nina replied excitedly.

"Really? Mine too!" Evangelea said, matching her excitement.

Evangelea reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, clear crystal. "Now Nina, when I count to three I want you to touch this crystal, alright?" 

Nina nodded, staring at the crystal with all the wonder in the world.

"One-two-three!"

Nina touched the crystal and then quickly pulled her hand away. Immediately the crystal turned to a beautiful shade of purple.

"Wow!" Nina cried out joyfully. 

"How did I do that?" 

"Because you're magic, of course!" Evangelea said warmly. "Here, it's yours."

Nina took the crystal from Evangelea's hand and hugged it close to her.

Nina's mother smiled softly at her beaming daughter.  
"What do we say, Nina?"

"Thank you Miss Inquisitor!" Nina said, pronouncing "inquisitor" very slowly to make sure she said it correctly.

"Of course! It was absolutely lovely to meet both of you. If there's anything your family ever needs, let me know any time."

"Thank you, Inquisitor. You have no idea how much everything you're doing means to all of us here. You are truly a blessing. I know Nina will be talking about this for the rest of day."

"She's an absolute doll, you've done a beautiful job raising her. Have a wonderful rest of your day!"

"To you as well, my lady."

Nina waved goodbye and her and Lila walked away.

Varric stood next to Evangelea for a moment saying nothing. He was taken aback by the entire exchange he had just witnessed. He was terrible with children and never had the slightest clue what to say to them. He had never seen Evangelea interact with a child before and, unsurprisingly, she handled it just as sweetly and kindly as she handled every other person she encountered. It always seemed so effortless to her, he thought. He couldn’t help but picture them with a little one of their own one day, as strange and unfamiliar as that thought felt to him. What an incredible mother she’d be, he thought.

"Wow, I had no idea you were so good with kids." Varric said.

"I have a little sister, she's 15 years younger than me. Athena is her name. She's the best little thing in the whole world, I absolutely adore her. So I've had plenty of experience with children. Children are so spectacular because they haven't been hardened by the world yet. They still have that wonder and curiosity for life, that sparkle in their eyes. It's such a fantastic thing."

Varric was moved by her words. He had never thought of it that way. Every day he seemed to get a new perspective on the world from her.

"Did Nina actually change the color of the crystal?" Varric asked, curious.

"The crystal changes colors by heat. I actually had it on me because I was going to sell it. They grow everywhere in the mountainous regions we visit. I heat up the crystal in my hand to the exact temperature that it needed to turn purple." 

Evangelea paused a moment. 

"But I never told you that. She did it because she's magic, right?"

"Right." Varric replied with a smile.


	20. When We Got Ready Twice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is NSFW!

About two weeks had passed, and Evangelea was almost completely healed from her injuries. Lots of bedrest (far more than she preferred), constant help from her friends, and the exceptional work of Skyhold's healer had gotten her back in fighting shape in about a month. She had some light residual bruising on her left arm, but that was about it.

"Are you ready, baby?" Varric said, adjusting the collar on his shirt.

"Just about!" Evangelea replied from her closet as she changed her clothes. 

"Varric my love, can you come help me with something?" She called out.

Varric walked over and found her with her back turned to him. The dress she had on was completely unzipped in the back. Varric was thrilled to see her left side was no longer battered and bruised, it had returned to normal. He immediately found himself breathless as he stared at her exposed skin.

"I-um," He began, taking the zipper in his hands. It would have pained him at that moment to zip her dress up, so instead he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed down her back along her spine.

She shivered at his touch. She had been recovering for so long that they had not had a chance to touch like this in quite some time, which was very unusual for them. Any light touch had caused her great pain, and for the first time in weeks, she felt only pleasure when his arms wrapped around her.

She let out a happy sigh as he touched her. She knew immediately that they'd be late to the party at the tavern now.

Varric swept Evangelea off her feet and a big laugh escaped her, causing even more butterflies to flutter in his stomach. His mind was racing and he was desperate to touch her more and more.

He laid her down on the bed they now permanently shared and then quickly attempted to untuck his collared shirt. Evangelea, with a sultry smile, pulled him down to her by his neck and their lips met. Their kisses grew frenzied and their tongues found one another. Evangelea let out a breathy sigh and kissed him harder, desperate for as much physical contact as possible. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and she kept him as close to her as possible. She wanted to kiss him forever, to never let his lips part from hers. She had wanted to kiss him the second they met and since then her appetite for him was insatiable.

Varric’s blood felt like it was on fire, burning at her touch. As the months went by he only found his love for her growing stronger. He had never imagined anyone could do what she did to him, that he could need another person so desperately.

Their lips parted for a moment so they could take a breath and Varric immediately buried his lips into her neck. She moaned softly, feeling the little hairs stand up on her neck as his teeth grazed her skin. He kissed the sensitive skin behind her ear and she gasped. She was completely under his control, breathlessly pleading for more.

She worked to pull his shirt off of him as he moved his kiss down her jawline, eventually working his way back to her lips. Every time his lips met hers relief washed through them both. It was as if a drug was coursing through their veins and they simply couldn't get enough of it. Together they undid his belt and threw his pants onto the floor.

He had pulled the straps of her dress down and kissed every inch of her newly exposed chest, gently pulling each of her nipples with his teeth. She moaned and gasped, desperately moving her hands up and down his back to touch as much skin as she could.

Varric growled as he made his way back into her neck, sucking gently on the delicate skin.

"Oh Varric.." Evangelea breathed, dizzy with stimulation. 

"Make love to me." She whispered into his ear.

He needed no further instruction. He moved up the fabric of her dress and pulled down the rest of her clothing, leaving her bared and ready for him. He saw a soft, blue and purple bruise on the skin covering the left side of her hip and kissed it gently. He moved his mouth down and kissed the skin just above her most sensitive area. He moved even further down and sucked gently, reeling in delight as he watched her arch her back and moan in response. He worked her with his tongue and she cried out in pleasure as he rendered her helpless to him. He expertly and skillfully manipulated his mouth around her until she couldn't take it anymore. She lifted up her pelvis and cried his name again and again.

Watching her was more than he could bear now. He eased himself into her and she sighed with joy upon his entry, still panting from her climax moments ago. He had needed to be so gentle and careful with her for weeks, and while this was something he was more than happy to do, he reveled in his ability to ravage her now the way he so desperately wanted to.

He thrusted into her again and again. Every time he made love to her it was as if he had forgotten how incredible she felt, how perfectly their bodies formed together.

Her hair, which had been styled for the party, fell out in shining silver waves across the pillows. She knew she'd have to restyle it later. She didn't care.

They both gasped and panted as they let out a month's worth of fear, stress, exhaustion and tension.

She took his face in her hands and pulled him towards her to kiss him again, letting out heavy breaths between kisses.

He lifted up one of her legs and pushed into her, deeper and faster. Her dress spilled out around her thighs, soft blue cotton swaying with his movements.

He had reached his breaking point, he buried his face into her shoulder and cried out. They laid there for a moment, silent except for their heavy sighs.

He moved himself next to her and kissed her again. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed for several more minutes as their breathing returned to normal.

"You have no idea how much I needed that." Evangelea said as she nuzzled into his shoulder, kissing it softly.

Varric pulled apart from her slightly and took her chin in his hand. "I love you more than life itself, Lea."

"Mmm." She hummed happily.

"I might just love you more." She teased, winking at him. They laid contently in each other's arms for a few moments.

"We should probably get ready....again...for the party now, huh?" She said softly. 

Varric laughed.


	21. When You Helped Cullen

Evangelea walked through the door to Cullen's quarters and found him looking at his bookshelf. He looked incredible pale and his eyes were bloodshot and glazed over, so she was immediately concerned.

"Hello Commander." She said, walking up next to him. 

"Oh! Inquisitor!" Cullen exclaimed, startled.

"You said you needed to see me. Are you alright? You don't look well." 

"Yes, well, no. Well, I will be."

Evangelea watched as his gaze darted between her and the ground, and she grew more worried by the second.

"Please, tell me what's going on Cullen. I'm worried about you." Cullen placed both of his hands on his desk, steadying himself.

"As you know quite well, I used to be a templar. I've been taking lyrium for years. But when I joined the Inquisition I...I decided to give it up."

Evangelea stared back at him, shocked. She knew what the effects of lyrium withdrawal could be, and death was not uncommon for templars who quit lyrium.

"Couldn't that kill you?" She said quietly, her mind racing.

"I'm taking it very slowly, and before you ever came into the picture I asked Cassandra to keep an eye on me in case anything...goes wrong."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I'm...not sure. I suppose I didn't want to trouble you with it, I just-"

Suddenly Cullen's knees buckled and he quickly gripped onto the table to stabilize himself.

"Whoa! Hey, sit down." Evangelea said, quickly taking Cullen by his shoulders and moving him to the middle of the room.

They sat down on the floor together and Evangelea put her arm around his shoulder. Cullen put his head down and began to cry, his breathing growing rapid and his body shaking all over.

Evangelea stayed silent, keeping her arms wrapped around Cullen tight as he cried. After a few minutes, his cries grew quieter and his breathing returned to normal.

"I'm so sorry, Inquisitor. You shouldn't have to see your Commander like this."

"You aren't just a Commander, Cullen. You're a person and you're going through something extremely difficult and traumatic right now. You're my friend and part of the Inquisition family and we're going to get through this together, no matter what it takes."

Cullen sniffed and wiped his eyes.  
"I...would understand if you wanted someone to take my place right now."

Evangelea smiled softly at him, and when he looked up at her, her bright and hopeful purple eyes gave him a sense of comfort he had not felt in a long time.

"Are you kidding?" Evangelea began, shaking his shoulder gently. "You are the best Commander Thedas could ever dream of having lead this Inquisition and there's no way you're getting out of the job now."

She flashed her big smile at him and he let out a sound that was both a laugh and a cough at the same time, still getting the rest of his tears out. He was grateful for the light-hearted moment after such a serious few minutes.

"Thank you, Inquisitor. I promise this is only temporary. I won't let you down, let the Inquisition down."

Evangelea hugged his shoulder tightly with her arm.

"I know you won't. I never had a doubt. Now, I want to get you over to the healer and have her take a look at you. You look dehydrated and exhausted. When's the last time you ate something?"

Cullen paused for a moment. "Honestly, I can't remember."

"See? Not good. We're going to get you fixed up and after you finish up with the healer and getting some food in you, I want you to go get some rest. I'll make it known that the Commander is not to be bothered for the rest of the evening, Inquisitor's orders."

He looked down at the ground in front of him for a moment, deep in thought.

"Inquisitor, I would feel better if you didn't tell anyone about this for the time being. You and Cassandra are the only ones who know right now, and I'd like to keep it that way so I can tell everyone on my own time.'

"Of course, I completely understand. But Cullen-one last thing I want to ask of you, okay?" 

"Yes?" Cullen replied, his eyes still misty and his cheeks flushed.

"Please come to me if you feel like you're not doing well again. We can prevent days like today from happening if you come to me right when you're starting to feel this bad, alright? I'd hate to know this happened again when I could've been there to help you. I don't care what I'm doing or where I am, I want to hear from you if you have troubles again, alright?"

Cullen smiled at her. It was the first time he had smiled in weeks, he realized.   
"Thank you, Inquisitor. I will."


	22. When Your Friends (and the Ocean) Helped

The Inquisition's members found themselves at The Storm Coast again, this time here for some political negotiations with a local arl. Evangelea suggested that a few days near the ocean may be good for the entire crew, so the core members of the Inquisition went along with her.

Evangelea sat on the shore of a private beach in the back of the estate they were visiting. She had her arms wrapped around her knees as she watched the cold ocean waves wet her feet. The air was unusually calm for the area they were in, with only a light breeze gently moving the strands of hair near her face.

Sera, bored by the diplomacy as always, found Evangelea outside and sat beside her, digging her feet into the sound.

"There's you, yeah? What'cha doin'?"

"Hi Sera," Evangelea began, a soft smile on her face. "I'm just thinking, enjoying the ocean. I miss it sometimes back at Skyhold."

"It's nice for a big, cold puddle I s'pose." Sera noticed a twinge of something unusual in Evangelea's eyes, a noticeable lack of the spark that was always behind her gaze.

Sera leaned over and gently pushed Evangelea's shoulder with hers. 

"You alright, Quizzy? You don't seem right."

Evangelea leaned backwards, putting both of her arms behind her. She shut her eyes, taking a big breath in and enjoying the salt in the air on her skin. She opened her eyes slowly, noticing a growing look of concern on Sera's normally carefree face.

"I'm alright, honest. Just...we're getting close to this all being over, you know? We just got back from all that Well of Sorrows craziness a few weeks ago and I'm still having to wrap my head around the whole thing."

"Good thing you gave that creepy thing's knowledge or whatever spookiness was inside of there to Morrigan instead of taking it yourself."

"Yeah, something about the whole thing just felt terribly off to me. Like, even though we got Abelas' permission, like we were taking something so powerful without understanding it in the slightest. But, Morrigan insisted it was the best thing for her to take it and I sure didn't want to, so I guess it worked out? I hope, anyway. I've just had a lot on my mind lately. We took care of Samson but I know that only put a dent in Corypheus' defenses and we still have to figure out how to deal with his dragon and the eluvians and-oh, I'm sorry. Don't mind my worrying, I'm just rambling on."

Sera felt a wave of compassion wash over her for her friend. Her normally sweet and silly companion, for the first time, really looked like she had the weight of the world on her, and Sera was going to have none of that.

"I won't have you worryin', I will not. I refuse. Now, get off your wet arse and let's go do something stupid."

Evangelea laughed, and as soon as Sera saw her big smile reappear, she couldn't help but smile herself.

"Hey, you two coming back inside? The grub's almost ready!" The Iron Bull called out from inside the estate.

"Hey! This one over here was bein' mopey and worryin', unacceptable right?" 

The Iron Bull's expression quickly turned to a sympathetic and silly one.

He approached the girls with his arms folded and a teasing smile on his face.  
"Our Inquisitor? Our Inquisitor Evangelea Trevelyan is moping?"

Evangelea laughed. "I was not moping! I was just-"

Evangelea's laughter turned into joyful shrieks as The Iron Bull scooped her up and ran straight into the ocean with her in his arms. He found a place that was deep enough and despite her loud laughter and cries for help, he dropped her with a loud plop into the ocean.

She came up to the surface, coughing from her laughter.

The Iron Bull, who stood about two feet taller than her, only had water up to just below his knees and his booming laughter filled the air.

"There, that should've washed any of that gloomy shit off!" He cried. From a few feet away Sera was bent over laughing.

"I'm going to kill you both!" Evangelea teased, walking towards the shore again.

The doors to the estate opened again and Varric poked his head out of the doorway. He immediately noticed a soaked Evangelea with a silly pout on her face and couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey! What'd you two scoundrels do to my girlfriend, huh?"

"We were just doing a bit a' cleansin', to get rid of some of those worries of hers." Sera yelled back at him.

"I'm going to kill them!!" Evangelea said, still trudging through the water to get back to the shore.

Varric walked back inside and then quickly returned holding a towel. Once Evangelea made it to the shore he walked up to her and wrapped the towel around her tightly. She kissed his cheek, leaving it wet and salty. He didn't care one bit. Soaked to the bone and feigning rage, Varric found her absolutely adorable.

"You're awful cute when you're wet and pissed off, you know that?" Evangelea laughed and shoved him with her hip.

"Oh, shut up." She joked.

"In all seriousness, thank you. Both of you. Things have just being weighing on me a little more so than usual lately and I'm trying to figure out how to make all this work."

"Hey, that's what you've got us for, okay boss? You're never doing any of those alone." Bull said.

"Yeah, that. Because we love you and junk." Sera said with a teasing tone, but with all the sincerity in the world.

"Now go dry off so we can eat, you look ridiculous." Bull said.

Evangelea created a small fireball in her hand and launched it at Bull's shoulder. In the other hand, water filled up her hand and she flung it at Sera's arm, soaking it.

"Not fair! Magic is not a fair play, you cheated!" Sera cried out, laughing.

"Ouch! You-ah, okay I deserved that." Bull said, rubbing the spot the fireball had just hit.

Bull's skin was incredibly thick and tough and she knew it would do nothing but startle him, and she, Varric, Bull, and Sera all laughed.

"Thanks, you guys. Let's go eat, I'm starving."

"After you, our illustrious leader." Bull said, motioning to the doors in an overly grand gesture.

"And you'd better not forget it." Evangelea teased with a wink as she walked in the house, flashing them her big smile.

"That's my girl!" Varric said with a laugh.

_She's smiling again. Mission accomplished._ Sera thought, a satisfied smile on her face.


	23. From the Desk of Varric Tethras-The Makeout

_From the Desk of Varric Tethras:_

Last night the Inquisition decided to spend a night drinking and bullshitting in the tavern. We all needed it. Several hours in Evangelea started to look a little sleepy, a happy warm glow on her cheeks. I could tell right away she'd had a little more to drink than usual, but hey, so had I.

"Varric?" She said softly, her words rolling off her tongue like honey. 

"Hmm?" I replied, feeling a pleasant familiar buzz in my head.

"Come with me a moment?"

She reached out her hand and we got up from our seats. She walked me to a back room, separated only by a doorway with no door. She giggled as she put an invisible magical barrier over the open doorway. 

Our eyes met and I swear it looked like she was going to eat me alive. My blood felt like it caught fire.

She pulled me over to the very end of the wall and leaned up against it. I pushed up her up against the wall and our lips met, frenzied and absolutely mesmerizing. I felt like every single part of me might explode at any moment as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I slipped my hands around her waist and slid them just underneath her shirt, a giggly exhale escaping her mouth. Her skin was unbelievably soft, and all I wanted was to touch her everywhere.

Wherever we were, what time it was, everything seemed to slip away as we kissed for what seemed like hours. Her lips were like candy on mine, and I couldn't get enough. I felt like a teenager again, sneaking away to make out in a dark corner. And we were loving every single minute of it. She put her hands down and grabbed mine, our fingers interlocking. I pulled her arms above her head and pushed them into the wall behind her. I felt her hands become warmer and warmer, her fire magic tingling on our palms. I could feel her need for me on her lips, and in that moment I had never felt so lucky. Every day I was less and less certain that I deserved her, that this wasn't some incredibly beautiful dream I'd wake up from someday. I prayed when I opened my eyes each morning that I'd see her next to me instead of waking up with a raging hangover, my face stuck to the wood on The Hanged Man's bar.

I've seen a lot in my life, done a lot, regretted a lot, but nothing had ever prepared me for her.

Our lips finally parted and she took my face in her hands. She threw back her head and laughed, joy filling up every inch of her beautiful face. Watching her laugh, I thought I'd never stop smiling. I was utterly, hopelessly, hers in this moment.

We finally stepped out of our private corner and immediately saw Bull, sitting comfortably in his favorite chair and grinning at us. 

"Nice pout you got goin' there, Varric. Looks like a good makeout session to me."

"Damn right it was!" Evangelea chimed in, wrapping her fingers around mine.

I couldn't help but laugh. It never failed to amaze me how open she was about us. Everything Bianca and I ever had was secretive, sneaking visits and avoiding her family and with Lea it just...was. We had our exciting period where we were just figuring out what this was and not telling anyone, but the second it got serious she was unafraid to shout it out to the heavens. She didn't feel any need to hide me, to push me away. To have someone love you unashamedly, without fear or hesitation, it's freeing.

"I am drunk and very tired," Evangelea began, "And so this Inquisitor is off to bed. You staying here a little longer, darling?"

"Yeah, just for a little bit." I said.

She leaned over and kissed me again, prolonging it for just long enough where Bull whistled at us. Never taking her lips off mine, she flicked a small fireball off her finger, landing on Bull's hand. His skin was so thick he wouldn't have felt more than a tickle, but it still caused him to burst out in a big, deep laugh.

"Good night boys." She cooed, walking away from us slowly. Bull and I both took that moment to admire the view as she left. I couldn't wait to see her again the moment she walked away.

"Remind me how you tricked her into falling in love with you again?" Bull teased.

I sighed, flagging down the bartender for another drink.

"No idea."


	24. When You Gave Dorian Part of Himself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Font credit for Evangelea's handwriting](https://www.dafont.com/jellyka-saint-andrew-s-queen.font)
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> [Font credit for Dorian's handwriting](https://www.dafont.com/the-attention.font)

Dorian approached the corner of Skyhold's library that he had grown so fond of. 

Today, like most days, the sunlight shone in through the stained-glass window across from the big chair nestled up against the wall. The spot was cozy and warm, and this early in the morning, perfectly quiet.

Unlike most days however, placed in the chair was a rectangular package, wrapped up in blue paper and tied with a twine bow. Under the bow was a small piece of paper, folded in half. The outside of the paper read "Dorian".

Dorian, still not 100% awake, brightened a bit seeing his name on the mysterious package.

He opened up the card, and inside it read:

[Dorian,  
It's where it belongs now.  
All my love,  
Lea]

Dorian was no more sure of what was in the package now than he was moments ago. _Where it belongs?_ He thought. _Whatever could that mean?_

Dorian untied the twine around the package and carefully tore off the blue wrapping paper.

The moment the package's contents were revealed to him, his eyes filled up with tears.

A medium-sized book was in his hands, titled _Flaming Fields: A Mage's Journey_.

He clutched the book to his chest, exhaling deeply.

He flipped open the book to the inside cover, and the tears that had filled up his eyes were now falling steadily down his face.

Written in small, uneven handwriting was a familiar signature.

[Dorian Pavus]

This book had been Dorian's favorite for as long as he could remember. It had been his dearest friend, a constant companion from the time he was a young boy. The pages had all been thumbed through so many times that they were fraying at the edges, the cover scratched and faded from being in and out of bags, coats, and on and off shelves. This book was the first real adventure he felt he had ever been on, away from the demands and pressures his family had put on him throughout his very structured life.  
The seeds of Dorian's rebellion against the life he was forced to live were planted because of this book. His parents eventually figured that out, and promptly took the book away the first chance they got when he was a teenager. Dorian wept that day, as it was the only copy he had ever seen printed and that copy was his, a replacement would never be the same.

He recalled briefly mentioning this in conversation to Evangelea many months ago, a vulnerable moment that Evangelea was often able to bring out of even the most reserved of people. He lamented to her the loss of his dear friend, the book that shaped him into much of who he is today.

Evangelea made it a personal mission to locate this exact book for Dorian. She (perhaps abusing her powers as Inquisitor a bit), used every resource she could to hunt this book down and after months and months of searching, it turned up in a tiny book store in the rural north end of Tevinter. A pretty penny was paid for it, but for Evangelea, any amount of money was worth giving Dorian back that piece of himself.

Dorian, still teary-eyed and overwhelmed, sat in his favorite chair and turned to the first page of his book once again, warm nostalgia flooding his chest. 

Hours of time melted away as he poured through every word again, just as entranced as he was as a young man.

When he finished the book, he tucked it carefully into his coat pocket and set off to find the Inquisitor.

He found her in Skyhold's main hall, adjusting one of the mosaic pieces on the wall.

He approached her and when she saw him, a soft, sweet smile lit up her face.

Dorian, without a word, wrapped her in his arms and squeezed her tightly, her returning the embrace right away.

Still hugging her, he choked out a few words.

"Thank you. I don't know how you did this, but thank you."

When they pulled apart Dorian found that Evangelea now had tears in her eyes as well. She was overjoyed and moved beyond words to see how deeply touched and happy Dorian was.

"Anything for you." She said, a happy tear rolling down her cheek. She gestured towards the couch behind her.

"Now, will you sit with me and tell me all about it?"

Dorian wiped his eyes, nodded, and sat down beside her on the couch, thrilled to share this part of himself with his dear friend.


	25. When We Became Trainers

The sun had barely made its way up and all of the Inquisition's core members were gathered on the lawn outside the tavern all in full armor and weapons, along with several of the Inquisition's younger members.

Evangelea was dressed in light armor and had her staff in hand, her demeanor much perkier and more awake than anyone around her.

"Hello and good morning everyone! I know it is disgustingly early in the morning and we would all rather be sleeping or eating some sort of pastry like substance, but this morning's training is really important!" She began.

"As you all know, we have the privilege of having a large number of Thedas' mages in our ranks. Due to the current political situation in Thedas and the current shaky nature of the Circles, a small group of these mages are still young and have experienced a gap in their magical education and training. Much of that education has been graciously provided by the senior enchanters and more seasoned mages since they've arrived in Skyhold, but the combat training is something I have been asked to help with. In addition to the mages of the group, we have several young members of the Inquisition who have expressed interest in specialized combat training. Each of the core members of the Inquisition, my lovely friends over here, have unique skill sets that I think would come in handy to help these young men and women learn and grow in their defensive and offensive skills. Because who doesn't love learning how to not die right?" Evangelea said with a silly smile, winking at Varric.

The young trainees gulped uncertainly. The Inquisition's core group laughed and groaned at the same time, Varric nearly choking on how in love with the Inquisitor he was.

Evangelea turned to the young trainees, their faces clearly nervous. There were ten of them, six women and four men, aged between 15 and 20. Evangelea laughed when she saw their expressions.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you. These are all just training exercises, these guys are all trained professionals." She said.

From a distance, Sera burped loudly and the air grew silent for a few moment.

"Right! As I said! Professionals! Let's begin!” Evangelea cleared her throat and turned towards the Inquisition’s inner circle.

“I have assigned each of you a trainee that will be best served by each of your particular skills. I have already met with each of these lovely young people and spoke with them at length about their goals and interests and I think that each pairing will be very beneficial and productive. We'll be having these specialized training sessions for one hour once a week, but if you'd like to train with each other more than that throughout the week in your free time, you are of course more than welcome to and that is encouraged!"

Evangelea walked up to the group of trainees, starting on the far end of the row.

"Thomas, good morning. You told us that you were interested in advancing your sword fighting skills and defensive maneuvering with shields. You will be in excellent hands with Ser Blackwall."

"Good morning to our mage trainees!" Evangelea said, moving down the row. "Gladwin, Myrrine, and Jess. You will be with Solas, Vivienne, and Dorian, respectively. Solas is a master of rift magic, Vivienne is our ice magic expert, and Dorian is our resident necromancer."

"Katrina, hello! You will be paired with our Sera. She is the best archer I have ever known and you will learn very well from her, I’m sure of it. Don't worry, she'll only _seem_ like she'll shoot your head off but she's a sweetheart, trust me."

"Morning Aya! Please say hello to your mother for me, and thank her again for patching up that scarf of mine, it looks beautiful. You have been paired up with Varric! Varric is an incredibly talented artificer and will be able to teach you any and all things about any sorts of traps you can imagine. Be sure to tell me if he gives you any trouble, I'll beat him up for you." She let out a laugh and Aya laughed along with her, everyone in Skyhold knowing full well about Varric and the Inquisitor's relationship.

"Ella my dear, you're going to be working with Cole. Cole is a shy, sweet young man but is arguably the deadliest creature in the world with daggers. You'll gain a great breadth of knowledge from him, just don't be alarmed if he seems to be looking 'through' you. He means nothing but compassion towards you."

"Rhode, morning! You specifically requested Commander Cullen and Commander Cullen you shall receive. I know you're already very confident in your abilities but trust me, Cullen will push you even harder than you think you _can_ be pushed. I trust Cullen with the lives of the entire Inquisition and those lives will partially be in your hands as well once you officially join the Inquisition’s forces. Make us proud!"

"Johnny, I can think of no one better for you to work with than the Iron Bull. He is the finest two-handed weapon wielder I have ever seen and on top of that, an incredibly gifted strategist. You will learn a variety of wildly useful skills from him."

"And finally, Brynn! I have assigned Cassandra to work with you. Cassandra is a fiercely disciplined and talented fighter and with time, she will absolutely make you into one as well. Treat her with the utmost respect and don't be afraid to ask her questions. She is a stern woman, but very understanding and will push you to be the best you can be. You two will get along very well."

Evangelea backed up from the row and addressed the whole group. 

"You've all been assigned your trainers, now give me just a moment to speak with them and then we'll get started!" She said excitedly.

Evangelea approached her inner circle, all of them looking sleepy.

"Guys, I super appreciate you doing this. I know you have a million other things you need to do but these kids are extremely eager to learn and would do so well with specialized training. These kids worship all of you and are nervous as all get out but beyond exciting to be working with you all. Take it as a huge compliment, honestly." 

Evangelea reached into her pockets and pulled out a small bag filled with folded up pieces of paper. She began to hand them out, one by one.

“On each of these papers are a little info about your trainee. Please be gentle with them. You in particular, Sera."

"Hey!" Sera cried out.

"We all had to start somewhere and there is truly no better group of people to help shape these young people into something great. You all have my full confidence and support."

There was a pause.

".....and I promise the next round of drinks at the tavern is on me, for all of you."

The group cheered happily, and then dispersed to meet their trainees. Varric was the only one that stayed behind.

"What if I want something _more_ than drinks out of this? How about that?" Varric teased.

"Now now Varric, wouldn't you do it for your Inquisitor simply out of respect? Simply to do what's right?" She teased back, leaning in closer and closer to him.

She kissed his lips softly, biting down on his bottom lip gently before pulling away.

"I will rock your world so hard that you won't be able to move for _days_ , but you didn't need to take on a trainee for that." She growled, her lips directly next to his ear. She turned and walked away from him slowly, her hips swaying back and forth.

Varric shivered at her words, a familiar and ill-timed arousal flooding his system.

Evangelea walked the grounds and watched her friends slowly warm up to their trainees, some quicker than others. Cassandra was awkward and informal with Brynn at first, while Blackwall took to his young protege right away. Evangelea smiled watching Aya laugh at one of Varric's jokes and Johnny nearly falling over attempting to carry The Iron Bull's favorite axe. While the specialized training of these young individuals was near and dear to Evangelea's heart, a large part of why she created this assignment for the Inquisition's core group was to give them something they had complete control over. Giving them a positive task that incorporated all of their unique skill sets and gave them control in a world that often made them feel so helpless was so important to her. 

An invisible but palpable sense of worry and dread was beginning to grow throughout Skyhold and seeing the determination and genuine sense of accomplishment on the faces of both the trainees and their trainers gave Evangelea some peace in her heart that was often hard to come by.


	26. When I Held You Tight

The night was still, the air cold.

Varric lay awake in the bed him and Evangelea shared, his restless mind wandering here and there.

He looked over at the woman he loved, her silver hair messy and spread out across her pillow. She was wrapped up in a thick, plush blanket and he could hear her breathing softly as she slept.

His heart swelled, a familiar dull ache filling his chest.

He got out of bed as quietly as possible and walked outside to the balcony, taking in a deep breath of the cold mountain air. The night air felt clean and crisp, loosening the tightness in his chest a bit. He put his hands on the railing and sighed, his heart pounding. His thoughts couldn't stay in one place, but in the back of his mind one was always there.

A fear Varric had never known so strongly before was his constant companion: a fear of losing Evangelea.

He fell more in love with her every day than he ever thought was possible. A life by her side was a dream, the joys she brought to him were absolute and indescribable and all he wanted was to protect her and keep her close, to love her for the rest of their days. Every day she put herself in dangers most men would never have to face, defeated monsters and demons like it was a day at the office. Death lingered in the air around them like a familiar friend every day, but no matter how strong Evangelea was or how many battles they won, his fears never eased in the slightest. Until this mess with Corypheus was dealt with, Varric felt as though he may not sleep at all.

The chill in the air began to wear on him and he climbed back into bed.

He reached over and caressed Evangelea's head gently. He scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. He heard her exhale heavily, then she intertwined her fingers with his and immediately fell back asleep.

Varric hugged Evangelea tighter, burrowing his face into her neck. Intoxicated by the scent of her skin, he found himself at last drifting into some semblance of sleep.

When he awoke several hours later, he found Evangelea still fast asleep, but facing the opposite way. Her head was resting on his chest and her body was tucked in close to him.

His kissed her forehead a few times, and her eyes slowly opened. The way her purple eyes sparkled as the morning light began to leak into their room was magic to him.

"Oh baby, I'm sorry." He whispered to her, feeling guilty about waking her.

Evangelea scooted herself up a bit and kissed him softly on the nose.

"Never be sorry." She said, her voice low and sleepy.

"I love you, Lea." Varric said, almost inaudibly.

"Love you more." She replied in a happy sigh.

He held her tightly, cherishing every quiet moment in these ever more uncertain days.


End file.
